Voice in the Wind
by doesitweighmorethanaduck
Summary: A cat with fur the colour of the deepest waters... that's what the prophecy spoke of. But is it about RiverClan apprentice Waterpaw, or Grasskit, who has been born into WindClan in its time of suffering? What happens when the two young cats meet? As Grasskit grows up, he and all other cats find that the prophecy is more complicated than they thought...
1. Chapter 1

Cats milled around the small island, growing impatient. The Gathering would begin as soon as one more Clan arrived, but they had been waiting for almost twenty minutes already, and there had been no sign of them as of yet.

"Where is WindClan?" yowled a brown tabby tom. "Why are they late?!"

As if on cue, the bushes around the island suddenly started to rustle. A head popped through, followed by another, then another. Five cats- no, six- trudged into the clearing and sat down.

A seventh cat, an old yellow tom, appeared and plodded slowly to the large tree in the centre. He could barely manage to climb it.

"Greetings, Sandstar," said another leader, a young white tom with a ring of black around his tail. "What kept you?"

"We had a problem with one of the kits," Sandstar grunted. "What about it, Ringstar- would you appreciate if I asked the rest of you why you were on time?"

"That would be because we all remembered that tonight was the full moon," jeered a black she-cat with startling green eyes. "Unlike you, you senile old fool!"

The last cat in the tree, a tom with very plain gray fur and grayish eyes, said nothing, and simply continued to stare straight ahead.

"Well, we're all here now," said Ringstar crossly. "Jadestar, let's not give the poor cat any more grief than he deserves. Now, Miststar, why don't we start with you?"

One by one, the other leaders talked about their Clans and how they were doing. Miststar reported that RiverClan had an abundance of fish and was doing more than fine. Jadestar said that ShadowClan was in good shape despite the cold weather, and that she did not appreciate them wanting her to go into more detail. Ringstar said that ThunderClan was great, but what he was really curious about was the Twoleg and his dog that kept walking through the forest. The dog had never chased anybody yet, but it had seemed very friendly towards them.

"WindClan is doing well, too," Sandstar lied. "We have not lost any more cats, and I truly believe that our struggles are now far behind us."

It was true that they had not lost any cats since Cloudwind, but Lilyflower was very sick, and Barkpaw wouldn't be able to walk for at least another moon.

In fact, Sandstar's Clan was dying, not just the cats in it. First there had been the outbreak of blackcough. Then a strange disease had killed many rabbits, along with other prey. This had only affected WindClan territory.

There had also been the attack from the rogues that had demanded to see their leader. Sandstar would have been just fine with actually meeting with them, just to see if they had anything to say to him of use, but Flamefur and Deerfoot had refused, and the rogue had killed them both.

At the start of the season, WindClan had had eighteen cats in it, and now it had a population of eleven.

At least there was a tiny spark of hope. Owlwing was expecting Rabbitleap's kits, and soon there would be twelve at least- probably thirteen or even fourteen- cats in the Clan- assuming no one else died until then. Even so, it was quite a good development for WindClan. Maybe they had a chance of survival, but if so, it wasn't there at all without these unborn kits. The future would probably end up resting on their shoulders- a terrible burden for the young.

The Gathering was just about drawing to a close when Mossnose, the RiverClan medicine cat, jumped up next to Miststar and whispered something to him, concern furrowing her brow. Miststar flicked his ears and glanced out at the crowd of cats below, but he nodded and motioned for Mossnose to jump down.

"There is one more thing that I think all the Clans may benefit from hearing about," the gray leader meowed. "Mossnose has received a vision from StarClan telling her to watch for a kit 'with fur the colour of the deepest waters', for they will grow to become part of some future prophecy. She says that StarClan did not specify what Clan this kit would be from, so it may concern any of us. Apparently this cat will be vital to the future, although we have no idea whose future they will be vital to."

Ringstar nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep an eye out for any young cats who match that description," he mewed. Jadestar seemed sceptical, but she agreed to do the same.

Sandstar's twisted old whiskers quivered at this new shred of hope. Could this kit be part of Owlwing's upcoming litter? If that had been the case, it seemed that WindClan's medicine cat, Podtail, should have been the one to receive the vision, but Podtail had been so busy over these past few moons that maybe StarClan had chosen to send it to a medicine cat with more time on their paws.

It was a stretch, but it suddenly felt possible that there really could be hope for WindClan…


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Grasskit, wake up!"

Grasskit moaned and rolled over in his nest, lifting his paws over his ears to block out Applekit's mews. Their mother, Owlwing, had already gotten up and was sharing some fresh-kill with their father, Rabbitleap; his littermates Applekit and Berrykit had gotten up ages ago and were already playing moss-ball. But it was way too early for Grasskit's tastes, and he hoped to remain in his nest for as long as possible.

"Yeah, Grasskit, get up," Berrykit chimed in. "The sun is already almost at the middle of the sky!"

Owlwing looked up from the rabbit she and Rabbitleap were sharing, exchanging a bemused glance with her mate. "Don't lie to your brother, Berrykit," she mewed. "I'd like him to get out of his nest as much as you, but the sun only rose an hour ago."

Berrykit wrinkled her bright red nose, which had been her namesake. "Well, he should still get up," she muttered.

Grasskit didn't reply. He just wanted to stay asleep forever. It was all cold and snowy outside, and it wasn't even the fun kind of snow. This was the kind that was neither sticky nor fluffy, but was simply hard, crusty, and slippery. And even if it had been a better kind of snow, Grasskit still wouldn't have wanted to go outside, because there was simply nothing to do out there.

"C'mon, son, don't you want to go see what your Clanmates are up to?" Rabbitleap asked, trying to sound enthusiastic, as if it wouldn't just be the same old stuff as always. "Maybe Gorsewind will have some cool new stories for you!"

Even if Gorsewind hadn't been the only elder in the Clan- though the leader and deputy were both old enough to have retired long ago if WindClan had enough cats to spare- he still would have been the most popular with Applekit and Berrykit. They were always talking about his great stories, but Grasskit didn't see the point of stories. He wanted to live out his own epic tales, not listen to those of some elderly cat.

Besides, Gorsewind's stories were all the same. Some big thing was threatening all the Clans, and the future of everything was riding on one very special kit. Grasskit wanted to be the kit in those stories one day, but nothing in his life had been special whatsoever so far. His parents were both pure WindClan, he had never had any special dreams, and he didn't seem to have any special skills. The only thing remotely unusual about Grasskit was his fur colour, and that was the thing about himself he hated the most.

Grasskit's fur was not light brown like Berrykit and Rabbitleap's, or white and cream like Owlwing's, or even white with reddish-brown patches like Applekit. No; his fur was a very rare colour- a very particular shade of gray that, under the right lighting, appeared as olive green. Every cat had stared on his first day out of the nursery. Not only that, but Sandstar seemed to expect Grasskit to be special someday because of the colour of his fur, which he didn't understand at all. Sure, he'd love to be special, but it wouldn't be because his pelt was almost, kind of, sort of greenish.

So no, Grasskit was not getting out of his nest.

"Come on, Waterpaw, it's time for you to get up."

Waterpaw sighed, shaking out her pelt and pushing herself to her paws. She'd been having a really good dream. There'd been a big open stretch of land, but there were fish swimming in it like it was the river. Then something had started coming up behind her, and she'd had to fend it off with the fighting skills she'd learned yesterday.

Still, dreams were nothing compared to real life. It was only her fourth day as an apprentice of RiverClan, but Foxfang had told her she was the best apprentice he'd had yet- and Foxfang had had a lot of apprentices. He was the deputy, and had volunteered to mentor a whole bunch of young cats in the past, many of which were now very strong warriors. If Waterpaw was even better than Graystorm or Storkflight had been when they were young, then she must be really good!

Maybe she really was the cat who Mossnose had been told about. Miststar certainly seemed to think so, and he was the leader, so of course he'd know best. Waterpaw hadn't been so sure at first, but the more praise she received, the more her doubt subsided. Not only was she apparently really skilled; she was also the only surviving kit from her litter, so her parents always pampered her. She had often been told that her blue-gray pelt was of a lovely shade, and every cat seemed to like her. It seemed to Waterpaw that she must have been a very special cat.

"So, Foxfang," Waterpaw mumbled around a trout once she had gotten out of her nest and groomed herself a bit, "what are we doing today?"

"Today I'm going to show you the borders," her ginger-pelted mentor mewed. "If we have time we can practice some more battle moves." Waterpaw perked up at that- she loved battle moves! "But we probably won't have time, so don't get too excited," Foxfang added.

As soon as Waterpaw had finished off her trout, she and Foxfang set off. Patchfur and Smokefur, two brothers who were related to Waterpaw, poked their heads out of the warriors' den to greet her as she set off, and she happily waved her tail back at them. Today was going to be fun.

 _Everybody here is just a bunch of rabbit-brains_ , Grasskit thought bitterly as he chomped on the rabbit leg his parents had left for him. Prey was always scarce in leaf-bare according to them, but he had a hard time believing that their Clan had survived for countless seasons if things had always been this bad. Was his own piece of prey really too much to ask? Applekit and Berrykit had offered him a chunk of their marmot, but it had looked too small to split three ways, and besides, Grasskit didn't want his sisters' charity.

Once he was certain he had eaten every single scrap of meat that the leg had left to offer, he finally trudged outside, squinting in the harsh sunlight that reflected off the snow, making it even brighter than it normally would have been. In the camp, Roseflower was consulting with Podtail about an ache in her hip. "With all due respect, ma'am, maybe you ought not to be so rambunctious at your age," the young medicine cat suggested with thinly veiled exasperation.

"Now, listen here, whipper-snapper; I don't want your 'advice'," the old deputy grumbled. "Just stick some of your plant gunk on my hip so it won't hurt as much."

"I'm afraid it won't be as simple as that," Podtail sighed. "Your hip is arthritic; the pain is going to keep coming back no matter what you do. Your best bet is to just take it easy and let me know when it flames up."

"Can you fix it for now so I can join the hunting patrol?"

Podtail flexed his claws; Grasskit looked on with amusement as he tried to talk sense into Roseflower- a pointless cause, he knew. That old cat was a stubborn one, and she wasn't going to retire even if all of StarClan came down and told her to.

Besides Podtail and Roseflower, it seemed that next to every cat was off doing something else. Sandstar was hiding in his den again; Rabbitleap and Owlwing were off on a hunting patrol with a couple other warriors; Lilyflower was still recovering from her on-again, off-again bought of greencough that had been keeping her in the medicine den since before Grasskit had even been born- it was both a miracle that Podtail had been able to keep her alive so long, and what seemed like a curse to have kept the sickness in her system for moons on end. Applekit and Berrykit were chasing each other around merrily with no regard for just how terrible a state WindClan was in, and sometimes Grasskit envied them. Even Grasskit's friend Barkpaw was off somewhere with her mentor, though her brother Seedpaw was still in camp.

"Hello, Grasskit," Seedpaw mewed from the little mound of snow he sat on. "I see you finally decided to get up after all."

Grasskit nodded to the glossy brown apprentice. "I was hoping you'd be here," he mewed. "I suppose you're hoping to play one of your 'paw games with me."

"I must admit, I was thinking of doing that." Seedpaw jumped down from his mound and padded over to sit beside Grasskit, staring out at the snow-covered camp. Here and there, long bits of dead grass protruded from the snow.

Seedpaw had been unlucky enough to have Lilyflower as his mentor. Due to her constant poor health, he didn't get to go out and train nearly as often as his sister. Sometimes Barkpaw convinced her mentor to bring Seedpaw along for training as well, but he was still pretty far behind. He would no doubt have to wait a while longer to become a warrior than his sister would.

Grasskit scanned the camp for anything that they might trip over, but he couldn't see any dangers, so he agreed to play one of Seedpaw's games. They decided on a game where one cat chased the other like in a game of rabbit, only here you had to carry a clump of grass around in your mouth and when you got caught, the other cat had to fight you for it. Grasskit wasn't very good at this game, but Seedpaw wasn't the best at it either, so they were almost evenly matched.

They played that for a while, but it quickly became boring. Seedpaw seemed restless today, flicking his ears and twitching his tail and looking around as though he expected something more interesting to come out of the sky and entertain them. "We ought to go somewhere," he meowed suddenly. "Out of camp, I mean. Like, down by the lake. Have you even tried swimming, Grasskit?"

"Why would I swim?" Grasskit sniffed. "I'm not a RiverClan cat. And you aren't either," he added, "so I don't see why you'd want to!"

"Forget it. It was a stupid question." Seedpaw muttered to himself for a moment before announcing, "I gotta get out of this StarClan-forsaken wasteland. Meet me down by the lake if you feel like it, okay?"

Grasskit felt a pang of alarm. _I can't go out of camp; I'm just a kit!_ And neither could Seedpaw, he realized, without his mentor or some other adult cat. Plus, the lake- sure, it'd be frozen over now, but who knew how firm the ice was? How easy would it be for him to fall in and drown? Grasskit knew at once that he couldn't let Seedpaw do this- at least not all alone.

Maybe he could tell somebody- but no; everybody here was either too old, too sick, or too young to be any use. The only cat who could've kept up with Seedpaw was Podtail, and Grasskit really didn't want to bother the poor cat. He was too busy as it was. So Grasskit decided he'd go with Seedpaw, if only to keep an eye on that rabbit-brain.

Seedpaw may have been behind in his training, but he was still a WindClan cat. He slipped out through the dirtplace tunnel and took off far faster than Grasskit could keep up with. It was a good thing it was leaf-bare and Grasskit could pick him out against the snow, because any other time of year he'd have lost sight of his brown pelt amongst the grass.

"H-hey," Grasskit called just as Seedpaw was about to disappear over the crest of a hill. "I'm coming with you. Wait for me!"

"Ah, good, you decided to come along!" Seedpaw slowed down so that Grasskit could catch up. "That's good. You know," he went on as they bounded through the snowy fields, "the lake is probably frozen right now, so you won't even have to swim. We can just slide across the ice! I've seen twolegs doing it a couple times. It'll be fun!"

Grasskit nodded, although he still didn't think they should be out of camp. What if someone noticed they were gone? Then again, he thought sourly, who would miss a cat as useless as him?

As they neared the lake, Seedpaw sped up once again, letting out a yowl of excitement. He ran down the slope that led to the water's edge and threw himself onto the icy sheet that covered the lake. Grasskit hurried down to join him, skidding across the slippery surface and almost crashing into Seedpaw, who jumped out of the way and fell over, landing on his haunches and skidding backwards across the ice for several tail-lengths. When he'd stopped moving, he lay there stunned for a few seconds before bursting out into giddy laughter. He scrambled to his paws, slipping and falling down several more times in the process, before charging at Grasskit.

Grasskit let out a loud, contented purr despite all his worries about their safety, and slid out of the way. Seedpaw practically flew past him, crashing into the snowbank at the water's edge. Snow showered won on top of him, and Grasskit was worried for a moment before he crawled back out and flung a chunk of snow at Grasskit, who retaliated, catching the snowball in his paw and hurling it back. It splattered across Seedpaw's face and he snorted, scratching the ice to send up a spray of ice flecks at Grasskit.

The two young toms played merrily for a while, all of Grasskit's concerns forgotten until Seedpaw began to venture further out onto the ice. "Be careful!" he warned. "The ice isn't as stable out there! You could fall in!"

Seedpaw ignored his warnings, spinning and gliding gracefully across the ice. He giggled as he twirled about, and he even stood up on his hind legs for a bit, raising his front legs in the air and tossing his head back in a great show-offy burst of confidence. Grasskit followed him further out and tried out the same trick, but his paws gave way and he came crashing down on his belly. The wind was knocked out of him while Seedpaw danced around him, purring with pride.

"Watch this, Grasskit, watch this!" Seedpaw purred giddily. He coiled his muscles as if he was going to jump, but instead he propelled himself forward on his front paws, lifting his back paws up into the air. For an instant it was an impressive trick until he flipped over and came down hard on his back, letting out a yowl of pain. Grasskit rushed over, concerned. "I'm fine," Seedpaw assured him, rolling over and trying to pick himself back up. Although he winced a bit, he did manage to get back on his paws, and he got back to playing around. He didn't even notice the small crack that he had left upon falling.

Grasskit didn't notice the crack either at first. In fact, he didn't notice it at all until he tripped over it and slipped, sliding on his side across the ice. His claws left marks where they had skidded across the ice, pulling the crack open wider where they'd been caught in it. Suddenly Seedpaw came slipping and sliding over to him, and Grasskit tried to warn him to look out.

"Seedpaw, there's a crack in the ice!" Seedpaw didn't react; maybe he hadn't even heard. "There's a crack in the ice! Look out!" Grasskit cried out again and again, but to no avail. Seedpaw was down the hind-legs trick again, and when his front paws came down they pushed on the already widened crack, shifting the sheet of ice in front of him and separating it from the one his back legs were stationed on.

Grasskit scrambled over to try to push Seedpaw away, but the ice was too slippery. He couldn't stand up. Grasskit struggled to keep his balance and stop falling over as he helplessly watched Seedpaw scramble. His front paws were on one side of the crack, pushing at it and making it ever wider, while his back legs were being pushed further away as the crack widened. Finally, they had stretched so far behind him that they couldn't support him and he collapsed into the space between the two sheets of ice. His front claws still clung to the chunk of ice Grasskit stood on. He tried to pull himself up, but it was no use.

Finally Grasskit managed to get over to where Seedpaw was struggling. "Grab my paw!" he instructed the floundering apprentice, holding out a front paw. Seedpaw tried to lift a paw off the ice, but as soon as he did he lost his grip on the ice altogether and slipped even further into the chilling waters.

"I can't hold on!" he wailed. "Oh, StarClan, why did I ever want to come down here?!"

"That's not important now," Grasskit told him. "You've gotta grab onto my paw!"

Seedpaw shook his head, his amber eyes round with terror. "You're too little," he mewed. "I'd just pull you in with me."

"No!" Grasskit didn't know what to do. Seedpaw was right- a kit like him couldn't pull an apprentice out of the water all by himself. But there had to be something he could do! "I'll manage it somehow," he insisted.

Seedpaw's paws were sliding closer and closer to the edge of the ice. In a desperate attempt, Grasskit lunged forward and dug his claws into his friend's slipping paws. Then he tried to drag him up out of the water, but he didn't have a good hold on him. Grasskit bit down hard on Seedpaw's paw and tugged as hard as he could. Seedpaw yowled in pain, but he had been lifted a couple of whisker-lengths higher. That was something, at least, right?

Grasskit tried again, getting Seedpaw a bit farther up each time. But something was wrong. His friend had stopped trying to get up on his own. Now Grasskit was the only one making any effort! Seedpaw's grip on the ice loosened, and Grasskit found himself tugging at a motionless, half-frozen brown lump. When he tried to tug his friend to safety, all he came up with were a few clumps of brown fur.

"Seedpaw, don't give up," he pleaded. "I can't help you if you don't help me too!" But there was no response.

Grasskit looked around, his eyes wide. His heart was beating against his ribcage like the feet of a rabbit; terror pulsed form his body, warming him so that he didn't even feel the cold wind that blew across the frozen lake. He dug his teeth into Seedpaw's scruff and pulled as hard as he could, but his fur was waterlogged, making him too heavy to even try lifting.

"Help!" he shrieked as Seedpaw slipped out of his grasp, sinking into the icy cold waters of the lake. "Somebody help me, please! HELP!"


	3. Chapter 3

Waterpaw stood beside the lake, closing her eyes and relishing the feeling of the wind blowing in her fur. "Ahh," she sighed. "This is the life."

Foxfang had shown her the borders, and now they were at the lake, looking for fish swimming beneath the ice. Well, at least that was what Foxfang was doing. Waterpaw was just taking in the day and enjoying herself. She'd already caught enough prey the day before when she'd joined her very first hunting patrol. She'd performed better than any cat had expected, but Waterpaw didn't see how they could have expected any less from a cat as special as her.

"So, what did you say was on the other side of the lake there?" she asked once she had finished drinking in the air.

"That would be ThunderClan," Foxfang meowed. He looked somewhat surprised. "They're a very famous Clan; I wasn't expecting you to forget about them of all things."

Waterpaw felt like smacking herself. Of course! How could she have forgotten?! "Well," she purred nervously, "that just goes to show how loyal I am to RiverClan, right?"

"There is a difference between loyalty and forgetfulness," Foxfang muttered, but his voice was light and teasing. He licked her ear. "You'll learn all your territories soon enough."

Waterpaw hoped she would. If she was supposed to be part of a prophecy, she couldn't afford to be any less than perfect at everything. StarClan wouldn't choose anything less, would they? If she slipped up too much, maybe they'd just give her prophecy to some other cat. And Waterpaw couldn't have that, because what was she without her specialness?

A cold wind blew by from across the lake, ruffling Waterpaw's pelt. She squirmed with discomfort at the coolness of the breeze. Wait, was that her imagination, or was that a voice being carried by the wind?

It was a voice! Waterpaw glanced at Foxfang, alarmed. The wind was carrying the voice of a terrified cat across the lake- it sounded like just a kit! "Do you hear that?" she whispered. Foxfang shook his head.

"Hear what?" he asked.

"The voice in the…" Waterpaw trailed off, flexing her claws while she though. If her mentor couldn't hear it, maybe it was something that only she was meant to hear- like a prophecy about her! "Never mind," she said. "It's nothing."

She strained her ears, hoping to make out what the voice was saying. It sure did sound like a young cat- no maybe it was two young cats! One voice was quieter, while the other was louder and shriller.

The voices went quiet for a minute. The wind died down. Then the wind picked back up again, and now the first kit was shrieking. Were they crying for help?!

Waterpaw jumped to her paws, trying to locate the direction of the voice. It sounded like it was coming from… what had that grassy Clan been called? Well, whatever it was, Waterpaw knew she had to help. Paying no mind to Foxfang's protests, she took off, running along the water's edge in pursuit of the voice.

Skirting the horseplace and splashing through a marshy bed of reeds, Waterpaw began to hear the voice for real, not just in the distance. She pushed a clump of reeds aside and then she saw them, out on the lake.

"Hang on!" she cried. "I'm coming to help you!"

She could hear Foxfang coming up behind her, yowling angrily at her. But Waterpaw couldn't afford to listen. She ran out onto the ice, slipping and skidding a bit as she approached the crying kit. When she got close, she gawked- their fur was green! Well, maybe it wasn't totally green, but it was almost green…

The almost-green kit gazed at Waterpaw, his eyes- which definitely were green- wide with desperation. "My friend fell in!" he wailed.

Waterpaw peered into the wide crack in the ice. The water was too dark for her to see anything, but she could see how a cat could have easily fallen in through there- not a cat like her, of course, but one who wasn't so good at swimming. With alarm she noticed that there were no air bubbles coming up from below- either the kit was lying, or his friend was already dead.

She forced herself to push away those thoughts. Maybe they were still alive, and they were just really good at holding their breath. Besides, Waterpaw didn't want to think of what she was about to do as probably pointless anyway.

With a deep breath and without a moment's hesitation, Waterpaw jumped into the freezing lake, grimacing as the icy water closed around her. Now that she was in the water, she could just make out the faint glow of a pair of amber eyes- still open, but that didn't mean the cat was still alive. _Don't think that!_ she cursed herself, but she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there wasn't anything she could do for the friend of that oddly coloured kit.

With a few powerful strokes, she propelled herself deep into the lake. A tail brushed up against her outstretched leg, and she pushed herself one stroke deeper to reach the slowly sinking cat. Pity flared in her chest when she realized how young he was. This could easily have been her sinking like a stone toward the bottom of the lake.

She shook the thought out of her head. Something like this would never happen to her. How could it? StarClan still had so much more in store for her.

 _Well, maybe they've still got more in store for this poor thing too_ , Waterpaw realized. _Even if it is too late to save him, I've got to try anyway._ She struck out with her legs one last time and then hooked her teeth gently into the scruff of the sinking cat, turning herself around and kicking her way back up to the surface.

Waterpaw was almost out of breath when she finally broke the surface and gasped in the cold leaf-bare air. It was a shock to her mouth to breath in such cold air. She scrambled onto the ice and dropped the no-longer-sinking (thanks to her) brown tom at her paws.

The greenish kit's eyes were watering. "Th-thank you!" he mewed. "Seedpaw and I were just playing around when I fell down and made a crack in the ice, and then it got wider, and then Seedpaw fell in it-!" He broke off momentarily into a sniveling heap before continuing on. "But now you've come along and saved him and I just can't thank you enough because Seedpaw's my best friend…"

Waterpaw raised her tail to signal to him to be quiet while she placed a paw on Seedpaw's throat to check for a pulse. She couldn't pick one up. Not only that, his chest was still- no rise and fall to indicate he was alive. "Don't thank me too much," she warned the kit. "Not yet at least. Your friend Seedpaw isn't breathing."

"What?!" the kit gasped, plainly devastated. "No! That can't be right!" He ran to his friend and began frantically shaking him. "Seedpaw! Wake up!"

Waterpaw wasn't sure whether to feel pity or exasperation. Shaking the body back and forth and yelling at it wasn't going to do anything. Didn't kits in the other Clans get taught how to restart a heart? She pushed the kit aside and began pumping on Seedpaw's chest, stopping every so often to open his jaws and breathe into them.

"What are you doing?!" the kit cried, his olive fur all fluffed up. "You're hurting him!"

 _Kit, your friend is already drowned. Pumping on his chest to try to bring him back to life isn't going to do him any worse than he is already._ Waterpaw thought this, but she didn't say it out loud for fear that it would just make the fish-brained kit cry even more. Why couldn't every cat be as sensible as she had always been told she was?

Pump, pump- no heartbeat. Pump, pump- sweat trickled under Waterpaw's fur but- still no heartbeat. It was no use, she began to think. Just as she was about to stop, pull away, and explain to the greenish kit that there was nothing more she could do for his friend, the mass of soaked brown fur beneath her moved. It took Waterpaw sp by surprise that she actually jumped away, letting out a tiny hiss of surprise, before hope reignited when she saw Seedpaw coughing. Water poured out of his mouth- how much had he swallowed? It looked like a lot.

"You're alive!" the kit mewed, pressing his muzzle to his friend's soggy fur. "The she-cat said you'd stopped breathing."

"He had stopped breathing," Waterpaw informed him. "His pulse was gone too. But I brought it back. Pretty cool, huh? Every RiverClan cat knows how to do that."

The greenish-furred kit pouted. "Yeah, well, I bet RiverClan cats don't know how to run as fast as I can," he mewed sourly.

Waterpaw blinked at the odd little tomkit. What was his deal, anyway? His friend was alive! Why wasn't the fish-brain happy?

"Um, thanks a lot for saving me," Seedpaw meowed. Now that he wasn't dead, Waterpaw thought that he looked kind of handsome- not enough to risk breaking the Warrior Code for or anything, but if they'd been if the same Clan she'd have thought about it for sure.

"It's nothing," she purred, shaking out her wet fur. Seedpaw did the same, and they both sprayed the grumpy green kit with water. He mewled in protest, but even he was starting to look a bit perkier.

Grasskit had never been happier to see Seedpaw's crooked smile. That RiverClan she-cat had really saved him! Well, if Grasskit hadn't been sure before, he was sure now- other Clans were a whole lot better than his.

"Hey," he asked the cat, "what's your name, anyway? I'm Grasskit."

She snorted. "Wow, let me guess why they called you that. It's the eyes, right?" she mewed sarcastically. Then when she saw that Grasskit wasn't amused, she coughed. "Sorry. Um, I'm Waterpaw. I just got made an apprentice this week, but I'm already really good. Miststar says I'm gonna be part of this really cool prophecy and that I'm gonna grow up and save everyone from evil."

Grasskit couldn't help but be mildly impressed by that statement, but he wondered if she really was going to have a prophecy about her, or if Miststar had just made it up so she'd feel special- like Sandstar had once told him even though there was no way Grasskit would ever amount to anything useful. Maybe Seedpaw- or more likely, Barkpaw- one day, but not him. Not his littermates, either; their heads were filled with cotton fluff. In fact, maybe if any cat was going to have their own prophecy in WindClan right now, it would probably be Grasskit. He liked to think of himself as the sensible one, although Gorsewind referred to it as being "so young, and already a pessimist".

"Well, I've saved the day, so I guess I'd best be going now," Waterpaw purred. She flicked a few stray water droplets off her whiskers and they fell like rain onto the ice.

Grasskit had never seen rain- he'd been born in late leaf-fall, and hadn't been outside the nursery until it was already leaf-bare- but he'd heard about it. He'd heard that it was a pain and got cats wet and that nobody liked it. That sounded like just about everything right now, but he wouldn't dare tell an adult cat that or else he'd get scolded for sure. _Don't be so negative_ , they'd say; _there are still plenty of good things in the world; you'll see when you get older_. Well, maybe Grasskit would see when he got older, but right now all he could see was a dying Clan.

"Thank you again for saving my life," said Seedpaw, dipping his head to Waterpaw. "I really appreciate it."

Grasskit dipped his head too. "Yeah, I'm really glad he didn't die. He's the only other tom in my age group."

"Wow, how horrible for you," Waterpaw mewed teasingly. She flicked her tail playfully across Grasskit's damp paws, but then she coughed and straightened up. "Well, like I said, I'd best be going. I can hear my mentor calling me. Goodbye, Grasskit; Seedpaw."

Waterpaw turned and slid gracefully across the frozen lake, skipping across the snow once she was back on the shore. A ginger tom was standing on the beach waiting for her, and he didn't look too pleased.

Seedpaw nudged Grasskit, turning his attention away from Waterpaw as she moved next to her mentor- that was her mentor, right?- back toward the RiverClan camp, wherever that was. "We should go home too," he mewed.

Grasskit nodded; they'd certainly have an interesting story to tell…

"Honestly, Waterpaw, I expected better of you!" Minnowleap's stern mew made Waterpaw flinch even as her mother licked her pelt vigorously. "Jumping into the lake to save a WindClan cat? You could have drowned!"

"But we're RiverClan, remember?" she protested. "Swimming is no problem for us! And besides, it wasn't even that deep."

"It's just too big a risk," Minnowleap insisted, "especially to save a WindClan apprentice. Every cat knows they've been on their way out for a while now."

Waterpaw glared at her mother. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You know perfectly well what it means," Minnowleap hissed. "It means that you shouldn't put your pelt on the line for one of them! If it had been a ThunderClan or a ShadowClan cat, then maybe you'd get some kind of reward for saving one of their young- kits and apprentices are the future of the Clans, after all, and those Clans are lucky enough to actually have a foreseeable future. But we all know that poor old Sandstar isn't going to be able to offer us anything!"

Waterpaw was taken aback by her mother's harsh words. It wasn't Sandstar's fault that he was old and frail, and it wasn't the fault of any WindClan cat that their Clan was suffering so much!

"I think it's just the other way around," she sniffed defiantly. "If one of the other Clans lost an apprentice, it would be pretty sad. But since WindClan's population has already dwindled so much, it'd be absolutely devastating for them to lose one of their apprentices!"

Minnowleap cuffed her around the ears. "Do not talk like that! Your life is far more important than that of one of them!" Her snarling voice softened into a sweet purr as she continued, "after all, Waterpaw, you are a very special cat, remember? And we couldn't have such a special cat lost, now could we?"

"Of course not, mother." Defeated, Waterpaw kept her muzzle shut while her mother finished grooming her.


	4. Chapter 4

A fresh sheet of snow had fallen overnight, covering the WindClan camp with its vast whiteness. Grasskit had stared in awe at the perfect, untouched stretch of powder from the opening to the nursery until his sisters had woken up and ruined it. Now their tiny pawprints dotted the snow, forming criss-crossing trails where they had run about, chasing each other.

Grasskit knew it was silly to be bothered by such an insignificant thing- after all, some cat was going to have to walk on that snow eventually- but it annoyed him nonetheless. Why couldn't anything ever just stay completely untouched? Somebody always had to come along and mess it up.

Well, if the snow already had this many pawprints in it, it couldn't hurt to add his own to the mix. Sighing, Grasskit stepped out of the nursery entryway and padded across the camp to the fresh-kill pile, wondering if Seedpaw was in camp. Seedpaw's father, Brackenclaw, had been very protective of him and Barkpaw since the incident at the lake, and even now that Lilyflower finally seemed to be recovering her strength she still rarely got the chance to take him out when he was being guarded like that.

Grasskit hoped that he'd be luckier than Seedpaw when he became an apprentice, which he guessed would be pretty soon, as he was going to be six moons old in just a few days. He guessed that meant Applekit and Berrykit were going to be apprentices soon too. That was hard to imagine. Berrykit had the naïve innocence of a kit who'd never been outside the nursery, and Applekit was too rowdy for Grasskit to ever imagine her gathering moss or checking elders for ticks or anything other than running around like a lunatic. Maybe it was mean for him to be thinking of his kin that way, but it was true. Sometimes Grasskit felt like the only sensible one in the whole Clan.

Applekit ran up toward Grasskit, Berrykit hot on her paws. She screeched to a halt when she got close enough to talk to him; Berrykit kept going and crashed into her. They both fell over and rolled around on the snow, purring.

Berrykit was still rolling around, her fluffy white belly fur just a couple shades off from the snowy ground, when Applekit scrambled to her paws and blinked at Grasskit. "Come play with us, Grasskit!" she chirped. "We're playing Rabbit right now, but we can change it to a different game if you want!"

"No, thanks," Grasskit muttered. He poked at the barely existent fresh-kill pile and wondered if a kit like him was big enough to eat a whole vole. "Hey, have you two eaten yet?"

"Nope," Berrykit mewed from the ground. "Are you going to share that vole with us?"

"Yeah, Grasskit," Applekit echoed. "Are you going to share it with us?" With a playful purr, she pounced on Grasskit and wrestled him to the ground. Grasskit was slightly irked, but he decided to humour his sister, and the siblings rolled around in the snow for a bit.

While Applekit was raking her paw down Grasskit's side, his belly growled. Maybe playing could wait. He pushed Applekit aside and grabbed the vole before some other cat could come along and take it away.

Grasskit was going to try to eat it by himself, but Berrykit nudged him and looked at him with her big round eyes and he sighed. He tore the vole into three pieces and tossed each of his littermates one piece. They all sat down together to eat.

"Ahh, it snowed," Minnowleap mewed disdainfully, picking up her paw and shaking flecks of snow out form between her pads. She fixed Waterpaw with a reproachful glance. "See, Waterpaw, StarClan is punishing us for your bad behavior yesterday! When will you learn to stop doing things like that? First you saved that WindClan cat, putting yourself in danger for the sake of someone unworthy of your sacrifice, and now you steal the life of your kin for the sake of a useless kittypet? The future savior of the Clans should pride her life more than this!"

Waterpaw shrunk back slightly, ashamed to have let her mother- and her Clan- down. She knew that the Clan had to be fed first! She really did know that! But that poor lost kittypet had been so cold and hungry… why couldn't Minnowleap see that she'd been trying to do the right thing?

Waterpaw had been on a hunting patrol the previous day when they'd heard a pathetic mewling. She'd gone with Foxfang to find out who it was coming from and they'd found a scrawny black and gray tom wearing a purple collar huddled in a mound of snow. He'd introduced himself as Arrow and said that he was separated from his twolegs and needed help. Foxfang had pointed Arrow in the direction of twolegplace, but Arrow had whimpered and said he needed food soon because he thought it would taken him at least a day to get back home and he hadn't eaten for almost a week already.

Foxfang had again told Arrow where to find twolegplace, but Arrow insisted that he needed food now. Waterpaw had wanted to help, but Foxfang had told her to let him deal with this. He'd said that Arrow wasn't allowed to hunt on Clan territory; Arrow had said that was okay because he couldn't hunt anyway. Waterpaw had felt so sorry for the poor cat that when Foxfang had told her to leave Arrow behind- "He's a lost cause," her mentor had said- she had snuck back out of camp the moment the patrol got back and went back to where Arrow had last been. He'd moved since then, but she's soon found him staggering along in a snowdrift that went almost up to his belly. Waterpaw had given him a few tips on how to get home faster, and she'd given him a fish she'd taken from the fresh-kill pile back at camp.

Arrow had thanked her and told her that if he ever met her again he'd make sure to pay him back somehow. Waterpaw had been feeling pretty good about herself when she'd heard angry voices coming up behind her and found a group of her Clanmates, who had discovered she was gone and went out looking for her.

She'd gotten a good talking-to from Foxfang, who'd recommended that Miststar discipline her, but the pale gray leader had given her a moderately light punishment- no leaving camp for a week. Minnowleap had been furious when she'd found out- not at Waterpaw, but at Miststar for punishing her.

"My daughter did nothing wrong," the silver-gray queen had snarled. "Punish the wretched kittypet who manipulated her into helping it, not my perfect little Waterpaw!"

Waterpaw was grateful that her mother had stuck up for her, but Miststar hadn't budged, and now she wasn't allowed to leave camp for a week. At least Arrow was alive thanks to her. Maybe he'd made it home to his twolegs now, she thought. If he'd really been gone for almost a week, they must have been so worried about him! Waterpaw smiled at the thought of the kittypet reuniting with his twolegs. She'd never understood why a cat would want to be a kittypet when they could hunt and fight as a warrior instead, but she supposed that it was the lifestyle that they wanted, and if they really wanted to leave they could just run away.

"I'm really sorry," Waterpaw murmured now. She gazed out at the fresh sheet of snow that had dusted the landscape. "…Do you really think StarClan sent this snowfall to punish me for helping Arrow?"

"Why else would they send more snow to us when we're already cursed with so much of it?" Minnowleap snapped. "It's because of you and your foolish selflessness! You are a special cat, Waterpaw," she added, her voice softening to a kind but vaguely accusing mew. "And I am very proud of you and everything that you do. I really am!"

 _So why do you insult me for trying to be a good cat?_ Waterpaw wanted to ask, but didn't dare. Minnowleap was already angry at her, and rightfully so, of course. She didn't want to make her mother have to punish her.

"But you make it so hard for me sometimes when you act like you don't care about your own precious life," Minnowleap purred, licking the top of Waterpaw's head so lightly that her blue-gray fur stayed in position. "You're a lucky cat, Waterpaw. It's not every cat who gets to have their own prophecy, you know. One would think-" her mew sharpened again, ever so slightly, but it made Waterpaw tense up with anticipation for her mother's criticism- "That you would be better behaved, considering that StarClan has chosen you to be their special cat. If you can't be as perfect as Miststar says you are, then what does that leave you as? Just another mouth to feed, really. And I know you are better than that."

Waterpaw's ears flattened and her tail drooped, but she forced her ears to prick back up again. She couldn't afford to be so soft! She wasn't like her weak-minded Clanmates; she was a special cat. And if she couldn't be perfect, then she would be useless. And if she was useless, then her Clanmates might not love her as much anymore.

Once the vole had been eaten, Grasskit lounged in the blinding leaf-bare sunlight for a bit while Applekit repeatedly ran up to him and jumped over his head. She kept getting Berrykit to try to join in, but the light brown she-kit was preoccupied with a brown and black feather that Rabbitleap had identified as belonging to a hawk.

Grasskit hoped that there were no hawks outside right now. Were there hawks in leaf-bare? He had no idea. He'd never seen a hawk or a buzzard or an eagle before. The only kinds of birds he'd seen were sparrows and finches and stuff. Grasskit preferred rabbits- "WindClan through and through," Owlwing always said- but other prey made a nice change now and then.

A bit before sunhigh, Barkpaw and Seedpaw came through the tunnel, each carrying jawfuls of prey. Their mentors padded proudly behind them, Lilyflower walking confidently although she still carried a faint air of sickness about her.

When Sandstar saw them from the shallow hole he'd dug in the ground and used as his den now that he could no longer get up the short, steep slope that the real leader's den was on top of, he broke into a grin. He slowly rose to his paws, and though Grasskit couldn't hear his joints cracking from across the camp, he knew the sounds were being made. That poor cat really did need to retire… the only problem was that it wouldn't do the Clan any good because the deputy was even older than he was…

His curiosity piqued, Grasskit stood and padded closer to the elderly leader so he could hear what he was saying. His green eyes widened when he did.

"I don't see why we should wait until tomorrow," Sandstar was purring. "Any cats who can catch that much prey in one morning deserve to be warriors."

 _Warriors!_ Pride for his friend warmed Grasskit, but then a pang of jealousy crept in. _Seedpaw's going to be a warrior before I even get to be an apprentice…_

"I don't know about you," Lilyflower mewed to Runningfoot, who was Barkpaw's mentor, "But I'm inclined to agree."

"Of course you'd say that," Runningfoot meowed, though not unkindly. "You want Seedpaw out of your paws as soon as possible so you can focus on recovering. I, meanwhile-"

"On, shush, you!" Lilyflower weakly slapped her tail across Runningfoot's muzzle. It should have come off as an angry gesture, but when she did it, it seemed oddly playful. "Barkpaw did even better than Seedpaw on the assessment- no offense, Seedpaw- so if only one of them was ready, I'd say it would be her. But in all honesty, I say they both deserve to be warriors."

Runningfoot nodded slowly. "You're a wise cat, Lilyflower," he purred, and he brushed his dark gray tail over her pale pelt. Then he turned his attention back to Sandstar, who was watching them with a fond look in his eyes. "You're right, Sandstar. You can call the Clan meeting in a few minutes."

"Can you believe this?!" Seedpaw asked when he padded over to Grasskit. "Barkpaw and I are going to become warriors! It's a pity you're still a kit," he muttered. "We never got the chance to train together."

"I don't think you'd have trained together anyway," Barkpaw chimed in. "The age gap is so big that even if we stayed 'paws for a couple more moons, Grasskit wouldn't be experienced enough to train with us."

"I guess I'll be stuck training with Applekit and Berrykit, then," Grasskit grumbled. "Lucky me, right?"

Applekit sprang up behind him. "What's that? Did you say something about us? What're you guys talking about?"

"Is it true that Seedpaw and Barkpaw are going to be warriors?" Berrykit squeaked, eyes wide. "That's amazing! Didn't you used to be kits just like us?"

"Of course they used to be kits," Applekit scoffed. "Everybody used to be a kit, even old cats like Gorsewind."

"…And Sandstar?"

"And even Roseflower!"

"Whoa!" Berrykit blinked at Applekit in amazement. "I never knew that!"

"You didn't? But it's just common knowledge," Grasskit mewed. "Besides, Seedpaw and Barkpaw may have been kits when we were born, but I can only remember as far back as when they were 'paws already."

"That's because we became apprentices just a few days after you were born," Barkpaw recollected. "Lilyflower was just getting better from one bought of greencough then, and a little after she started training Seedpaw it came back even worse."

As Seedpaw, Barkpaw, Applekit, and Berrykit rambled on, Grasskit began to zone out. He realized how lucky Seedpaw was to be alive right now to even become a warrior at all. That cat who'd saved him a moon or so ago when he'd fallen in the lake sure had seemed friendly. Grasskit wondered how Waterpaw was doing now.

He could only assume that her life was pretty much perfect, considering how she'd said that she had a prophecy about her. Every cat in RiverClan probably loved her. Grasskit wondered if Waterpaw was even really a nice cat, or if she'd only saved Seedpaw to show off. If that was the case, would StarClan have really picked her to save the Clans?

Grasskit hoped not. He hoped that StarClan would have higher standards for their "special" cat than that.


	5. Chapter 5

The full moon shone brightly over the heads of the gathered cats. Waterpaw shifted her weight from side to side and tucked her paws in to keep her pads from freezing off- it was so cold! Okay, maybe her pads weren't really going to freeze off, but it sure felt like it. She shuddered at the sight of her breath coming out in white puffs.

"C'mon, other Clans, hurry up," muttered Patchfur, who sat beside Waterpaw, working his claws into the ground. "We haven't got all night!"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure we technically do have all night," Smokefur remarked. "It'd still be nice to get a few hours of sleep, though."

RiverClan had managed to get to the island first tonight. Miststar had gotten everything running orderly, and Graystorm had picked a good selection of cats to go. It was Waterpaw's first time at a Gathering; she was already an apprentice when the Gathering a moon ago had rolled around, but she'd volunteered to stay behind and watch the Clan. Minnowleap hadn't been too happy about that. "Such a wonderful cat should show herself off as often as possible," she'd said, but Waterpaw didn't really see the point of Gatherings in the first place. They were all just going to fight each other again anyway, so why pretend like they were all friends when they obviously weren't?

Finally, the bushes rustled and ShadowClan cats began to stream into the clearing. They were shortly followed by ThunderClan.

"How come WindClan is always the last one to arrive these days?" Patchfur grumbled as cats from different Clans began to mingle. "They're always making the rest of us wait longer."

"It's because they're in a tough spot," Smokefur informed him. "Their leader is old, but their deputy is even older, so…"

"Why don't they both retire, then?" Waterpaw mewed. "Or is that not allowed?"

"Roseflower doesn't want to retire, from what I hear."

A group of attractive young ThunderClan warriors walked by, and Patchfur stood up and padded after them, meowing some sappy pick-up lines. Smokefur rolled his eyes and followed after his brother, leaving Waterpaw by herself to think.

A few other apprentices greeted her, and she mewed a polite greeting back without being overly friendly. Forming bonds with these cats would be a liability if she ever found herself facing them in battle. At least she could talk comfortably with her Clanmates Shellpaw, Mallowpaw, and Oakpaw. They were a bit older than her, but they weren't as much older as Smokefur and Patchfur, so they were better for talking to about apprentice things. Not that Waterpaw would ever be like other apprentices and complain about her mundane tasks. That wouldn't be fitting of a cat with a prophecy about them, as Minnowleap had informed Waterpaw a few times in the past upon catching her whining. "StarClan has chosen you, Waterpaw, and your behavior always has to reflect that," the silver-gray queen had scolded. "I know you're a lovely little cat, but if you go about acting like the rest of the rabble then no cat will know how special you are!"

If Minnowleap were here, Waterpaw felt like she'd be forcing her to brag a bit more to the cats from other Clans. After all, what was the point of being a special cat with their own prophecy if you didn't show off a little? Well, Waterpaw wondered sometimes but never dared to say aloud, what if the prophecy that Mossnose had spoken of wouldn't be about her after all? He'd only said that StarClan had said that they were going to give him a prophecy in the future; they hadn't actually given him the prophecy in full yet. Saving the future could mean a lot of things. Did it mean one cat's future? A Clan's future? The future of all Clans? The whole world? The whole universe?

And a cat with fur the colour of the deepest waters could mean either blue like her fur, as every cat in RiverClan assumed, or it could mean…

"Hi!"

Waterpaw was jolted out of her thoughts by the chipper mew. She blinked when she saw the cat she'd just been thinking about, his face barely a whisker-length from hers. Waterpaw looked around and, sure enough, WindClan had finally arrived.

"Do you remember me?" the little greenish-furred cat mewed curiously, tilting his head when Waterpaw drew away slightly. "We met about a moon ago. You saved my friend." When Waterpaw didn't respond right away, the kit's smile faded and he mewed sullenly, "I guess you forgot who I am."

Waterpaw felt like purring with amusement at this kit's pessimism. Of course she remembered him! His fur was green; how could any cat forget that? His name had been Grasskit, and his friend was… Seedpaw, right? But why was this kit at a Gathering?

"Are you an apprentice now?"

He nodded slowly, as if he was still having a hard time believing he was. "Yep; my name's Grasspaw now! And my sisters are Applepaw and Berrypaw. We just got apprenticed yesterday!" He glanced from side to side as if checking to see if any cats were listening, then he leaned in a bit and whispered, "I think Sandstar should've waited a couple more days to apprentice them, though. They're not mature enough yet."

"But you are, right?" Waterpaw purred.

"Look, you've never seen those little rabbit-brains," Grasspaw grumbled. "Compared to them in terms of maturity, I'm practically a senior warrior."

"Or an elder," Waterpaw teased. "I can see it now: old man Grasspaw, yelling at the young cats to get out of his den…"

Grasspaw swiped at Waterpaw's face and she let out a tiny screech, jumping back. His claws were sheathed, of course, and he giggled when he saw her reaction. "Were you afraid I was gonna do you in with my fuzzy little paw?" he teased, shaking his paw in Waterpaw's face. "Wow, I didn't realize that when Sandstar made me a 'paw, he also turned me into a badger!"

"You'd make an awful badger," she meowed. "You're too tiny."

Grasspaw narrowed his eyes. "But I'd make a great old cat, huh?" He hunched over and mimicked the voice of an elder. "'Well, back in my day, we didn't have Gatherings! We all just fought each other all the time, and we liked it!'" He glanced at Waterpaw, who was trembling with amusement at the sight of the young cat pretending to be elderly, and then he started chuckling as well. "Something like that, right?"

"Exactly like that," Waterpaw mewed through her laughter. "Hey, at this rate, maybe Sandstar won't even bother making you a warrior. You'll get to retire and spend the rest of your life as an elder with an apprentice name."

Grasspaw's tail fluffed up. "He'd better not!" he hissed.

"I didn't mean it,' Waterpaw explained.

"I know that, rabbit-brain!" Grasspaw gave her another fake-swipe, batting her chin. Waterpaw purred at the young cat's feistiness. "I was just trying to keep the joke going, but you went and messed it up!"

The two young apprentices played around under the light of the full moon, not even noticing at first as the cats around them quieted down until a ThunderClan warrior rather rudely told them to quiet down and listen. The Gathering had started. One by one, the leaders talked, but none of them really had any interesting news. Jadestar reported a fox sighting in her territory, but Ringstar said that his cats had found it at their border and chased it away. Sandstar talked about how Grasspaw, Applepaw, and Berrypaw were apprentices now; he also said that there were two new warriors: Seedpelt and Barkstripe. When their names were called, Grasspaw chanted them louder than any cat. Waterpaw remembered that they were good friends of his.

When it was Miststar's turn to speak, he had more or less nothing to say. Waterpaw was wondering if he'd mention Arrow, but he said nothing of the kittypet. Before she knew it, the Gathering was over.

Cats began to stream out of the clearing. Anxiety suddenly shot through Waterpaw. She'd just spent the night talking to and making friend with a WindClan cat! If Minnowleap found out she'd been wasting time with WindClan, she might punish her. Waterpaw had hated being stuck in camp for a week, and she knew that Minnowleap would hate to be forced to give Waterpaw yet another punishment. Why did she have to keep stepping out of line like this?! When would she learn to be perfect, like she was supposed to be?

Most of Grasspaw's Clanmates had already left, but he didn't want to go just yet. He was having too much fun with Waterpaw. It was the most fun he ever remembered having with any cat, because while she was only two moons older than him- unlike Seedpelt and Barkstripe, who were already warriors (!)- Waterpaw had a youthful yet mature sensibility about her that Grasspaw could appreciate.

"I never got the point of Gatherings," she admitted as they prepared to say goodbye. "Why get the chance to make friends you might have to fight with someday?"

"I kind of agree," Grasspaw mewed. "But not really. See, the way I look at is: maybe if we're friends with cats from other Clans, we won't want to fight them as often."

Waterpaw nodded thoughtfully. "Good point, but what if they do something really bad?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it past any cat," Grasspaw muttered. "It seems to me like somebody's always trying to ruin everything. But," he added shyly, "I'd like to think your Clan and my Clan will get along for the time being."

The island was nearly empty now. "Hurry up, Grasspaw!" somebody called. "Or we'll have to leave without you!"

"I'm coming!" Grasspaw shouted in reply, and then turned back to Waterpaw. "So, will we see each other again sometime- I mean, you know… before the next Gathering?"

"I don't know," Waterpaw sighed. "I don't think Minnowleap would approve. She doesn't think very highly of WindClan. Besides, we couldn't meet up together in the first place without sneaking out of camp."

"Maybe we'll both be on border patrols, and they'll meet up," Grasspaw suggested hopefully, although he knew he was reaching. He and Waterpaw would have to wait to see each other again. "Or maybe something will come up that will threaten all the Clans, and we'll all have to work together. I've been told stories about that happening in the past."

Not too surprisingly, Waterpaw shook her head. "I certainly hope that doesn't happen," she meowed in a lighter tone before continuing in a lower voice: "I hope we can meet up at the next Gathering, but we can't be… _friends_ , Grasspaw. Not really, anyway. Cats from different Clans never really can."

"Grasspaw!" Sandstar yowled. "Get over here right now!"

Waterpaw looked at Grasspaw with intense blue-gray eyes that matched the colour of her fur. Then she nodded to him and he knew he had to leave. Grasspaw slowly rose to his paws and joined his Clanmates. They left the island together in a group; Applepaw snapped at him for keeping them all waiting, but he didn't really process her words.

It wasn't until they were already back at camp and Grasspaw was settling down in his new nest in the apprentices' den that he realized that no cat had been calling for Waterpaw to hurry up and say goodbye. Did they put up with more because she was supposedly special? Or had they just forgotten about her?

They couldn't have just forgotten about her, right? Grasspaw had caught a glimpse of all the cats that had crowded around Waterpaw. Not nearly as many cats as that had introduced themselves to him! Everyone loved Waterpaw.

It certainly seemed that way, at least…

Waterpaw headed back to the RiverClan camp by herself, walking slowly. She could have caught up with her Clanmates easily if she'd felt like it, but she didn't feel like it. They knew she'd be coming along, and they'd had no need to wait up for her because they knew StarClan would prevent anything bad from happening to their chosen cat.

That was what Waterpaw assumed their logic was, in any case. As she padded through a bed of reeds, the thought crossed her mind that her Clanmates didn't really care about her, but she quickly banished it. She had so many friends! Surely Smokefur and Patchfur didn't just spend time with her because they were kin- they weren't even all that closely related in the first place- and of course Shellpaw, Mallowpaw, and Oakpaw really liked her. It was a pity that Waterpaw had no littermates; she'd been the only one of her litter to survive, and following the loss of his two other kits her father had fallen into depression and died shortly after. Minnowleap was her closest relative, and sometimes Waterpaw wondered if she blamed her for the loss of her mate and other kits. She'd certainly have no reason to, but there was a certain underlying tone to her voice- even her compliments sometimes- that made Waterpaw uneasy.

So some of her Clanmates cared about her for real, Waterpaw decided. Some of them had to. But what if not all of them did?

Take Foxfang: he always acted proud of her, but would he be as proud of a normal apprentice? Or Miststar: maybe her punishment for helping Arrow would have been much more severe if it weren't for that prophecy. And Mossnose… had he even gotten the real prophecy yet? He hadn't said anything about it, but maybe he had and he'd only told Miststar.

There were rabbit tracks along the side of the lake, with a fairly fresh scent around them. Waterpaw wondered if the rabbit would hop all the way into WindClan territory. If so, she hoped Grasspaw would get a piece of it.

She hoped his life was as nice as hers, but knowing the state his Clan was currently in, she didn't see how it could be.


	6. Chapter 6

"Put your tail lower to the ground," Owlwing meowed, her understandable exhaustion showing in her voice. "Not that low," she corrected when Berrypaw curled her tail under her paws. "Just keep it low enough so that prey won't notice you."

It was their third time out of camp, and Grasspaw and his littermates were practicing their form. Though his paws itched to get to hunting for real, Grasspaw knew that he (and especially his littermates) still had a lot to learn.

"Why do we have to stalk?" Applepaw whined. "We're WindClan! Can't we just run really fast toward our prey and not bother with stalking?"

"Have you ever seen a rabbit run? Those little furballs are fast as dirt," Spikeear muttered. "You kits wouldn't stand a chance in the Dark Forest of catching one without stalking the little crow-food-eater first."

"Watch your language, Spikeear," Runningfoot reminded the spiky-furred white tom. "These are young, impressionable cats you're talking to."

"Ah, mouse-dung," Spikeear spat. "If Sandstar pulls me over later today, I'm going to hunt you down and bite that stupid head of yours off."

Berrypaw's eyes widened in terror.

"He doesn't mean it, Berrypaw," Grasspaw sighed. "They're brothers. It's just how they are."

"Me and Applepaw aren't like that," Berrypaw sniffed. "We always play nice and say nice thing to each other."

"That's because you're she-cats," he muttered. "It's different with toms. You wouldn't get it."

"Hey, are you saying toms are better than she-cats?!"Applepaw demanded.

"What? I didn't say anything like that!" Grasspaw protested. "Neither one is better; we're just different from each other."

Applepaw grumbled something that Grasspaw couldn't make out. Then she spoke up enough for him to hear, "I know you liked that one she-cat."

Grasspaw dropped out of the hunter's crouch and turned around to glare at his sister. "What she-cat?"

"The one at the Gathering the other night," Applepaw purred, batting her eyelashes mockingly and imitating a lovey-dovey voice. "You remember _Waterpaw_ , don't you? Oh, isn't she just such a _special_ and _wonderful_ cat? Everybody loves her, and you're no exception!"

Grasspaw was glad that his face was covered in fur so Applepaw couldn't see him blush. "Shut up!" he snapped. "I would never betray my Clan like that! So what if she's cute! I don't care!"

"But she's sooo pretty," Applepaw giggled. "Isn't that right, Grasspaw?"

"Well, in that case…" Grasspaw struggled to come up with a good comeback. "…If you like her so much, why don't _you_ go out with her?"

To his surprise, Applepaw actually seemed to consider it. Eventually, however, she shook her head. "I would, but I think we're too young. Plus, like you said, I don't want to break the Warrior Code."

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me," Berrypaw chimed in. "Should I tell Barkstripe that you said you wished she was a tom so you could ask her out?"

"Don't you dare do that," Applepaw squealed, batting at Berrypaw, who flinched. "She's too old to be interested in me anyway! I'll have to wait," she added wisely, "until I'm a warrior too."

"Okay, everybody, let's get back on track," Owlwing sighed. "Grasspaw, what's this I hear about a she-cat from another Clan?"

"You should've seen him the other night, Mom," Applepaw mewed. "It was disgusting! They were flirting; it was blatantly obvious."

Owlwing gave Grasspaw a sidelong glance and he glared at Applepaw. Why did his littermates both have to be so annoying? Couldn't two cats even interact anymore without some mouse-brains screeching, "Forbidden love!"? I f not, most cats were even stupider than he'd thought.

"Waterpaw, dear, have you caught any fish for us yet?" Storkflight drawled from where she lay sprawled in the sunlight. "Remember, I'm not just eating for me anymore. You wouldn't want my kits to end up like your poor littermates, would you?"

Guilt pricked at Waterpaw's pads. That's right; she had to do better for her Clan! Every cat, even unborn kits, were counting on her to help them out. She cursed herself for not having caught any fish all day. Foxfang was going to be so disappointed in her!

"I'm doing my best, Storkflight," she sighed. "But the fish aren't coming."

Waterpaw moved her paw again. The icy current was almost unbearably cold, but Waterpaw had to withstand it if she hoped to get any fish this way. If only the ice hadn't covered the river! Just a few days ago there had still been open water in spots, but now it was completely frozen over, and RiverClan had to resort to ice fishing. Waterpaw had broken a hole in the ice using a large rock, but the hole had been too small at first, so she'd scraped away at the sides with her claws so she could maneuver her paw around under the ice.

At first, Foxfang had praised her for her cleverness, but then she'd failed to catch any fish. And it hadn't even been the first day she'd failed like this! Just the other day Waterpaw had had a salmon swim practically into her paws but she'd been daydreaming and it had swum away. Why was she slipping like this? Waterpaw cursed herself again for failing so miserably when she was supposed to be such a great apprentice. She wondered if Foxfang thought she was his most skilled apprentice ever anymore. He probably didn't.

And then there was Minnowleap. Sure, she still groomed Waterpaw immaculately at the start of each day, and she still made Waterpaw get up earlier than any other cat so she'd always get the first pick from the fresh-kill pile, and she still told Waterpaw how much she loved her. But Minnowleap had changed since the night of the Gathering. She seemed almost… suspicious of Waterpaw.

Only the previous day, she'd stopped grooming Waterpaw for a moment to murmur, "Patchfur told me he saw you talking to a WindClan cat at the Gathering a couple nights ago. Is that true?"

"We were only talking," Waterpaw had mumbled. "He's the same cat whose friend I saved a while back."

"Don't remind me of that," Minnowleap had hissed. Then her voice had gone back to the gentle tone that Waterpaw had found so comforting as a small kit but had recently been wondering about the authenticity of. "Well, Patchfur is a very silly tom, isn't he? What does he know about my lovely little kit?"

"What does he know?" Waterpaw had echoed, slumping down and closing her eyes as her mother resumed grooming her, as she did every night even though Waterpaw wasn't a kit anymore.

Now, almost a week since the Gathering in question, some cats till hadn't let it go. Smokefur had looked at her questioningly while they'd been out on the dawn patrol together, and Waterpaw had acted like she hadn't known what the look was for, but she really knew. Every cat thought that there was something going on between her and that WindClan 'paw.

Well, there wasn't! They had only met twice, and he was barely more than a kit. Even Waterpaw had only been a kit for a little over a moon, so she wasn't about to start thinking about mates. But maybe cats who were part of a prophecy were just more likely to also have forbidden love. Those two things certainly did seem to go paw-in-paw more often than not in elders' stories. But those stories weren't real life… were they?

Something finally brushed against Waterpaw's nearly-frozen paw, jerking her out of her thoughts. She lashed out, hooking her claws into scales. Water droplets flew up through her ice-fishing-hole, the fish's blood mixing with it. Waterpaw scrunched up her face and squeezed her other paw in through the hole so she could grip the flailing fish properly. Once she had a good hold on it, she jerked her paws up and a moment later a carp was flailing on the ice next to her. She bent down and gave it a quick bite to finish it off.

"Very good, Waterpaw!" Foxfang waved his tail proudly. "I expected no less from such a talented cat."

"Thank you, Foxfang," she purred. "It was nothing, really."

"I knew you wouldn't let us down again," Storkflight added from her sunny patch. "That was obviously just a one-time thing, right?"

Waterpaw nodded, because she had to. If she didn't, her Clanmates would think she wasn't as confident in her abilities as they thought. "I honestly don't know what got into me before when I let that salmon slip away," she meowed. "Perhaps it was just StarClan's way of testing your faith in me."

"Well, as long as you keep up that performance level, my faith in you is secure," Foxfang purred, licking Waterpaw's shoulder. Her mentor's eyes shone with… Waterpaw didn't know what exactly, but she assumed it was something positive. "I certainly am lucky to have you as my apprentice."

Waterpaw tried to focus on the compliment and not the implication that perhaps he'd lose his faith in her if her performance level dropped. She wouldn't let it drop, because that simply wasn't the kind of risk Waterpaw could afford to take.

The rabbit was chewing on a twig. It didn't see Grasspaw sneaking up on it. Excitement surged through him as he pressed his body low to the ground like Spikeear had showed him. His new mentor might have a sharp tongue, but he was a good teacher nonetheless.

The snow under Grasspaw's paws crumbled slightly as he took a slow, trembling step. The sound alerted the rabbit and it raised its head to glance around, sniffing the air. The creature's red eyes unnerved Grasspaw, but he reminded himself that rabbits often had red eyes. It didn't mean that they were possessed by a Dark Forest cat or anything, like in Windgorse's story about the three brothers who were hunting the red-eyed rabbit only to find that it had really been hunting them the whole time…

"It's just a dumb nursery story," Grasspaw muttered, not realizing he'd spoken aloud until the rabbit's ears perked up in alarm and it ran off. "Mouse-dung," he spat as it hopped away.

Grasspaw took off after the rabbit, chasing it over hills and dips, but it kept a few tail-lengths ahead of him at all times. Then the tail-lengths became fox-lengths, and Grasspaw finally had to stop. Panting, he cursed himself for letting the rabbit slip away. And just when he'd finally thought he was improving! After catching that redpole the previous day, Grasspaw had been sure he was getting better at hunting. He'd already been an apprentice for a couple of weeks now, after all, but he hadn't managed to catch a single thing yet.

Now he was really sure he wasn't the cat from that prophecy. Sandstar still thought he might be for some reason, but every time the old leader brought it up, Podtail would look away and not say anything. If even the medicine cat was sure you weren't special, chances were fairly good that you were just an average cat. And if you couldn't even manage to catch a dumb rabbit, well…

Grasspaw trudged back into camp, empty-pawed yet again. Applepaw had finally managed to catch something today- a crow, of all things. "Berrypaw helped," she mewed as she set it down on the fresh-kill pile, which currently consisted of only one other piece of prey: a day-old mouse so scrawny that no cat had bothered to eat it the day before.

Berrypaw nodded vigorously. "It was hopping around in the snow, so I buried myself in a snowbank and waited for it to hop over to me," she explained. "When it did, I jumped out and bit its wing. It got away, but then Applepaw showed up and took it down. It couldn't fly too well 'cause I hurt its wing, so she was able to get it."

Grasspaw shook his head in disbelief. "Amazing," he muttered. "I can't even take down a rabbit."

"Aw, what happened?" Applepaw asked as she hovered over the fresh-kill pile. She squinted at the day-old mouse before carefully hooking a single claw into it and pulling it over to Berrypaw, who ate it without complaint.

"Well, I was sneaking up on it, and…" Grasspaw trailed off. He didn't exactly want to tell Applepaw the real reason the rabbit had got away. "…The snow crunched under my paws so loud that it heard and ran off."

"That sucks," Applepaw meowed. She rolled over on her back and stretched her paws up in the air. "At least it's sunny out."

"I love it when it's sunny," Berrypaw chirped. "Don't you, Grasspaw?"

"Not particularly," he grumbled. "It's too bright and everybody has to squint, which makes us all look like rabbit-brains. And even if I did like the sun that much, it wouldn't change the fact that I'm too useless to catch a rabbit."

Applepaw sat up, blinking at Grasspaw with those wide amber eyes of hers. "You're not useless!" she gasped. "Why would you say that?! We're all going to get better soon! We'll improve as time goes on, just like Seedpelt and Barkstripe did."

"Speaking of Barkstripe-"

"Shut up, Grasspaw," she snapped. "I only told Berrypaw I liked her because I didn't know she was going to go and tell _you_." She put a disdainful emphasis on the word "you". "I just hope you don't tell anybody else about it. Nobody else knows I like she-cats! If they found out-!"

Grasspaw flicked his tail across his sister's flank affectionately. "No cat's gonna find out," he mewed. "You and Berrypaw might be the most annoying cats ever born, but you're still my littermates. You're secret's safe with me."

The freshly caught crow was too tempting for Grasspaw to resist. He tore off a chunk and took the rest over to where Seedpelt was relaxing in the shade of a gorse bush. Maybe he could pretend he caught it to impress his friend.


	7. Chapter 7

_Rain poured down in unrelenting sheets, overfilling the river and making it spill over the sides of the bank and spread over the desolate stretch of rock. The rain pooled in cracks and dips in the ground and beat down the few scraggy plants that had managed to survive in the cracks in the rock. The plants were then uprooted and washed away by the overflowing current, pulling them out to the open waters of the swollen lake._

 _There were no cats in sight. They were all long gone, already taken by the water. The rain and the river and the lake- they were all indistinguishable now. There was no such thing as land. It was all water. It was all flood._

 _High above the torrent, on the Shale Hill that Miststar had stood on during Clan meetings, the last remnants of the leader's den were swept away by the rain. The only trace of life, or hint that it had ever existed here at all, was Waterpaw. She remained, overlooking the chaos from her perch high above it all, unable to do or say anything but merely there, taking in her world._

 _Lightning struck the space just behind Waterpaw, making her fur stand on end and illuminating her from behind. In that moment she could see herself as though she were another cat looking up at herself, and she saw how mighty she appeared. Then thunder rumbled in the distance and the Shale Hill began to tremble. The thin, fragile rocks shivered and cracked. The rain beat down on them and slowly shipped away at them, eroding Waterpaw's pawholds until she was suddenly at the same level as the rest of the vast world. The rising water lapped at her paws and she still stood, frozen in place as she sank toward her fate._

When Waterpaw woke up, the first thing she felt was terror. The flood had risen even higher; now she was up to her neck in water! She writhed in her nest, letting out an agonized wail, before realizing that she could breathe. Waterpaw took a few deep breaths and looked around, realizing that it had just been a dream and that she was in her nest in the apprentices' den in the RiverClan camp, and that there was no flood at all. There was, however, a leak in her den and it was raining.

Shellpaw lifted her head. "Waterpaw, are you okay?!" she mewed with concern, padding over to Waterpaw. "Oh, it's wet!" she squealed when she stepped in the water that had pooled around Waterpaw's nest.

"There's a hole in the roof of the den," Mallowpaw informed her. The white she-cat pointed with her tail to a spot at the top of their den where a few pebbles were out of place, creating a gap that let rain through. "All the snow on top of the den created a lot of pressure, and the pebbles right in the middle fell through. Waterpaw's lucky they didn't fall on her."

Oakpaw nodded, gesturing to a few stray pebbles that were scattered at his paws in a puddle of slush. "They're small, but they could've killed you if they'd fallen right on your head," he meowed. "And since your nest is at a lower elevation than the rest of the den, the rainwater pooled around you while you were sleeping."

Waterpaw blinked at the tiny rocks. "Those could've killed me?" she asked incredulously. "These pebbles are no bigger than a mouse!"

"That sure would have been an embarrassing way to die," Shellpaw snorted. "'RIP Waterpaw: killed by some pebbles'."

"Or some rainwater," Oakpaw put in. "If it had pooled around your head much deeper, you could have drowned in your sleep."

Waterpaw tensed up at the mention of drowning. Her troubling dream crept back into her thoughts. It was just a dream, right? It couldn't have been a vision. If it was, what would it possibly mean- that there was going to be a huge flood and everybody was going to die? That didn't sound like a very good vision.

"We really need to fix that hole," Mallowpaw meowed, her light blue eyes narrowed. "It's posing a real danger to our safety. I'll go report the problem to Miststar and see if he'll let me do it myself. If not, I'm sure there's some warrior who has the time…"

She padded out of the den, Oakpaw and Shellpaw following after her. Waterpaw remained in the apprentices' den a while longer, watching as the rain dripped down and filled up the little dip in the ground where she kept her nest. As the rain continued to fill the dip, the nest began to float on it, and dissolved into a few floating sticks and reeds. The water eventually spilled over the sides of the dip in the ground and began to spread across the den.

That hole really did need to be patched up before the apprentices' den was completely flooded. Waterpaw shuddered at the thought of sleeping at the highest elevation she could find, not noticing in her sleep as the water reached up to take her away…

She shook her head, banishing her dark thoughts. That would never happen; if the den was too flooded to sleep in, Miststar would relocate them until the problem was solved. It wasn't a flood; it was just a leaking roof. There was nothing to worry about.

It was raining pretty hard outside, though, so Waterpaw opted to stay in her den despite her being a bit hungry. Luckily, Shellpaw darted back out of the rain a minute later, dropping a fish at her paws. "We can share it," she mewed.

Waterpaw nodded, jumping back as Shellpaw shook out her white pelt with barely visible cream-coloured tabby stripes. Water sprayed her anyway, but she was already wet from the leak, so it didn't really matter. They sat down and shared tongues while they ate; Shellpaw reported that Mallowpaw and Oakpaw had been given permission to patch up the leak and were fetching some branches to cover up the hole right that moment.

"So, I had a dream," Waterpaw mumbled as Shellpaw licked the last morsels of fish from her lips. "It was raining really hard, like it is right now, but I think in my dream it had been raining for a whole lot longer."

"Why's that?" Shellpaw yawned, rolling over and flopping down in her nest. "Sorry," she added quickly, "you woke me up with your screeching and I'm still a bit sleepy. Go on, though."

"Well, everything was covered in water." Waterpaw hesitated; should she really tell her dream to her friend? What if it really had been a vision? No, she decided; it had just been because her subconscious had known it was raining. "The river was flooding and covering everything. The lake reached all the way up into camp. Before long the lake and the river were one and the same! All the plants got ripped away, and there were no cats at all and the water level kept rising. By the end of my dream, even Shale Hill was crumbling."

"No cats at all?!" Shellpaw gasped. "Where were they?"

Waterpaw stared down at her paws, trying to shut out the intrusive memories of the dream. "I guess they'd all drowned," she muttered. "I was the only cat left, and for some reason I was standing on Shale Hill. But like I said, it was crumbling, plus the water level was rising. The water started lapping at my paws, and-"

"And then what?' Shellpaw demanded, staring at her intently.

"…And then I woke up," Waterpaw finished. "It was a fish-brained dream, I know, but you know how dream are…"

Shellpaw rose out of her nest, not breaking eye contact with Waterpaw. It was making her feel a bit uncomfortable. "What if it was a vision?" the white tabby whispered. "Maybe a flood really is coming. We've gotta go tell Mossnose, or Miststar, or somebody!"

Waterpaw shook her head. "It was just a dumb dream," she insisted. "It doesn't mean anything. Look, your siblings should be fixing the den any minute now. The rain is going to let up. It will all be fine in a bit; you'll see."

She just wished she could believe what she was saying.

"Whoa, look at it coming down!" Applepaw ran up to the entrance of the den, then changed her mind and circled back to where Berrypaw and Grasspaw were sitting. "Is it even allowed to be that wet?!"

"It's the weather, Applepaw," Grasspaw sighed. "It can do whatever it wants whenever it wants."

Berrypaw stared outside, transfixed by the rain. "Is the snow gonna come back?" she asked fearfully.

"Hopefully not 'till next leaf-bare," Grasspaw said flatly. He didn't have time for Berrypaw's innocent stupidity. "Newleaf is here. Get used to it."

"But I like the snow," Berrypaw mewed quietly, her tail drooping and her voice quivering slightly. Grasspaw tensed up; he seriously hoped his sister wasn't going to throw a tantrum because the seasons were changing, but he wouldn't be too surprised if she did.

"The snow's gonna be here again next year," Applepaw said gently, giving Berrypaw a few reassuring licks. "But until then, we can enjoy the nice weather! And there will be more prey, too; the lake will thaw; it won't be as cold out... see, Berrypaw? Leaf-bare is a horrible season, anyway."

Grasspaw nodded, breathing a sigh of relief when Berrypaw seemed to relax. Applepaw was a low rowdier than he was, but she could be surprisingly patient with her sister. She was the only cat she was like that with, though. Whenever Grasspaw was upset about something- which was admittedly often- Applepaw would just hurl insults at him, making him feel even worse. He'd come to learn not to let nay cat know when he was in a bad mood, because he knew Applepaw would tease him if he did.

The three littermates stared out at the rain in silence, and more than ever Grasspaw wished that Seedpelt and Barkstripe were still apprentices. Every cat was cooped up in their dens because of the weather, with the exception of a hunting patrol that had been sent out a while back and still hadn't returned. It had been raining for the whole day with no letup whatsoever, and Grasspaw was beginning to seriously hate his life. Being stuck with Applepaw and Berrypaw was never fun. He'd been stuck with them almost constantly for the first six moons of his like, and in the few weeks he'd been an apprentice for they'd all spent a lot more time together than he'd hoped.

If only there were some other apprentices in WindClan. _If only Waterpaw was a WindClan cat_ , he caught himself thinking. But Waterpaw was no concern of his. He'd only talked to her twice, although if he was invited to the upcoming Gathering he just might get another chance to see her. There was no guarantee he'd be going, though, so Grasspaw tried not to get his hopes up. He had learned long ago not to let them get too high, or else it'd hurt when his hopes were let down.

Finally, after Applepaw launched into a long tirade about how toms made horrible mates, Grasspaw couldn't stand to be stuck in the stupid apprentices' den any longer. He stood up and moved toward the entrance.

"I'm going out," he announced. "I just… need to go on a walk."

"That's fine," Applepaw meowed. "Just don't shake out your pelt when you come back in. I don't wanna get wet."

"Yeah, don't shake your pelt out," Berrypaw echoed. "We don't wanna get wet."

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," Grasspaw grumbled. Why were these cats so set on making his life as difficult as possible? He craned his head around to give his sisters a meaningful glare. "And don't follow me. I mean it! I want to be alone for a bit."

"Sure, whatever you say," Applepaw muttered. She turned to Berrypaw. "So, like I was saying, Runningfoot, like, _never_ went to visit Lilyflower the whole time she was stuck in the medicine den! Podtail used to bring her flowers and stuff and pretend they were from Runningfoot. Ugh, it's a shame Podtail is a medicine cat, because he's like, the one tom I'd actually consider as a mate. Not that it matters, because he's way older than me, but still…"

Her chatters faded as Grasspaw stepped into the rain and walked out of earshot. The sensation of the rain beating down on his pelt felt oddly relaxing. He stood in the open clearing, closing his eyes and letting the falling water clean his pelt and wash away his cares.

Sandstar was curled up in his den, just like every other cat, so no cat stopped Grasspaw as he slowly padded across the WindClan camp. At the bracken tunnel that marked the boundary of the camp, Barkstripe was standing guard. The young brown tabby crouched under the bracken miserably, barely glancing up as Grasspaw walked past.

Just when he thought she wasn't even going to stop him, she lifted her head. "Where are you going?" she inquired, her tail twitching irritably; the rain had put every cat in a bad mood.

"I'm just going out for a walk," Grasspaw mewed. "I need a break from being cooped up in the den."

Barkstripe grunted in acknowledgement and gave him a slight nod to signal that he could go. Grasspaw padded through the tunnel, glad for the brief shelter before passing through the other side and being caught in the open fields once more.

He walked through puddles that barely went over his paws and puddles that went nearly halfway up his legs. He kicked his way through a few remaining piles of half-melted snow. Grasspaw didn't have to think about where he was going. His paws seemed to take over and guide him there. He barely even felt or heard or saw or smelled anything that surrounded him. It was all a haze and everything was rain and openness. The rainwater streamed down the hills and pooled at the bottoms, clear enough for Grasspaw to see his reflection as he picked his way around them. When it was soaking wet, his fur almost looked like it was a normal colour.

The choppy waters of the lake lapped hungrily at the shore, higher than Grasspaw had ever seen them before. Further out, chunks of ice still bobbed, slowly breaking up and dissolving. Sitting with his long grayish-brown tail tucked neatly around his paws was Podtail. The medicine cat stared vacantly out at the turbulent waters, unblinking and not seeming to notice Grasspaw as he approached.

Grasspaw didn't know why he'd come to the lake. Something had drawn him there, and he could tell that Podtail was there for the same reason. Nonetheless he mewed, "What brings you here?" just in case the medicine cat had some more concrete reason to be sitting at the water's edge.

Podtail didn't respond at first. A chilly breeze ruffled Grasspaw's fur, and the sky darkened, clouds swirling overhead in a dark vortex. Podtail's fur bristled, standing on end as though he'd been struck by lightning. His murky green eyes began to emit a faint glow, and when he finally opened his mouth his voice came out as a low rumble like the thunder overhead.

" _From rain the saviour shall rise, and into waves the other shall fall_." The voice seemed to come from a thousand cats at once, and the sound combined with the ominous words made Grasspaw's fur stand on end. " _Listen not to the voice in the wind, for it speaks not the truth you seek_."

"What truth is that?" Grasspaw wondered. "…Wait, are you talking to me, or-?"

The glow left Podtail's eyes and his fur flattened out. The gray cloud vortex disappeared, and the wind died down, but the rain continued to fall. Grasspaw didn't understand what had just happened, but he was almost certain that it was something mystical. Had Podtail just received a vision?!

"I can't believe it's still raining," Waterpaw spat. "This is stupid! How much more water can the sky possibly hold?"

"Well, the sky is pretty big, so it can hold a lot more water than what's come down right now," Mallowpaw meowed smartly. "I know it's a pain, but at least rain is better than a drought."

Waterpaw muttered a reply that involved gratuitous use of the words "dung" and "fish-brain". She didn't care about any of Mallowpaw's science facts. She wanted to go hunting! She glared up at the sky, hoping this wasn't supposed to be some kind of punishment. She hadn't done anything wrong for a long time now, other than talk to Grasspaw at that Gathering, but that had been almost a moon ago! So then why was StarClan sending all this rain?

Mallowpaw glanced up to the apprentices' den, where Shellpaw had taken over for her after she'd fallen off and hurt her leg. Oakpaw had managed to cover the hole with some criss-crossed twigs, but they'd fallen through after a few minutes on being pelted nonstop with rain. Mallowpaw had been trying to roll a stone up the top of the den when she'd slipped and fell. The fall was only about a fox-length, which wouldn't have been too bad except that the stone had fallen with her and landed on her right hind leg, fracturing the bone. Mossnose had bound it in a poultice and set it in a splint, and while Mallowpaw was clearly in a lot of pain, Waterpaw was impressed by her lack of complaint. If Waterpaw had fractured her leg, she knew she wouldn't be able to suck it up so well.

Shellpaw picked her way down the pebble-built structure and skipped over to the shrubs that Waterpaw and Mallowpaw were taking shelter under. "We've managed to get a good-sized rock in place," she reported. "Now we just have to wait and see if it'll hold."

"Did you do anything about the flooding?" Mallowpaw inquired.

"Not yet, but I'm going to get a whole bunch of moss and soak up as much of the water as possible," Shellpaw meowed. "Do you want to help gather the moss, Waterpaw?"

Waterpaw readily agreed. "It'd be a nice change from sitting here being useless," she muttered.

She told their plan to Graysmoke, who was standing guard, and he let them head off to look for moss. Waterpaw stripped as much moss as she could find off the bottoms and sides of rocks, while Shellpaw gathered it from trees. Once they had as much as Shellpaw could carry, she headed back to camp to lay it out on the bottom of the apprentices' den while Waterpaw gathered more. While she waited for her friend to come back, Waterpaw hummed to herself, becoming absentminded and finding herself heading down toward Horseplace. She put down her moss to say hello to the horses; one of them came over to her and looked at her for a while before lumbering away.

Waterpaw carried on, not realizing she was heading down toward the lake until the sound of its crashing waves filled her eardrums. "Oh, I'm at the lake," she announced out loud to no cat in particular.

"You sure are," came a familiar voice from behind her. Waterpaw jumped; she hadn't expected a response, much less one from this cat. "So, what are you doing down here on a rainy day like today?"

"Grasspaw!" Waterpaw blinked at the WindClan apprentice, who tilted his head slightly as she tried to process why and how they had managed to run into each other again. "Wh-what a surprise. Um, I was just collecting moss. What brings _you_ here?"

Before answering, Grasspaw stopped to shake out his paws- as if it was going to do any good. The rain wasn't letting up any time soon. To be honest, Waterpaw had just gotten used to it. Being dry felt like a distant memory after hours on end of being soaking wet.

"What brings you here?" Waterpaw repeated, still slightly stunned to have run into Grasspaw again- and at the lake, no less.

"Me? Oh, um, actually, I don't really know why I came down here," Grasspaw admitted. He jerked his muzzle to further down the beach, where the rough waves crashed higher than they normally ever got. "But I saw Podtail- he's our medicine cat, but you probably knew that already- and he acted really weird, He said something weird, too. I think-" Grasspaw's voice dropped, and he looked around warily before leaning over and whispering to Waterpaw, "I think it may have been a prophecy."

A prophecy… Waterpaw knew she shouldn't poke around in the business of other Clans, but she was supposed to have a prophecy about her. Maybe this was it! She leaned over to Grasspaw and whispered, "How did it go?"

"What, do you expect me to remember it off the top of my head?" Grasspaw's brow creased in concentration. "It had something to do with a saviour in the rain and some cat falling into the waves. There was also a something about a… voice in the wind? I think he said not to listen to it."

"Why not?" Waterpaw asked, no longer bothering to whisper. There was clearly no cat listening to them.

"I don't know!" Grasspaw cried in frustration, working his claws into the ground. "I guess the voice is lying or something. But if even Podtail isn't sure what it means, how am I supposed to figure any of it out?"

"Hmm," Waterpaw muttered. This was all very strange, but her mind began working and something occurred to her. "You don't know why you came down here, right? But your medicine cat just happened to be here when he got the? Well," she continued when Grasspaw leaned forward, clearly intrigued, "what if it was meant for you?"

"Huh?" Grasspaw mewed, blinking rapidly. He seemed to consider it for a second before shaking his head and wrinkling his nose. "No way! StarClan wouldn't have anything that cool in store for me. I'm just an ordinary cat! Plus, my life sucks too much for them to ever pick me."

"Well, maybe it's about me, then," Waterpaw suggested. "I am supposed to have some kind of special destiny, after all. I mean, I don't think a RiverClan cat like me would be very likely to fall into any waves, but maybe that part is about somebody else."

Waterpaw hoped Grasspaw didn't hope she was trying to brag about her swimming capabilities. She just really was that good at it. So maybe some parts were about her, and other parts were about Grasspaw. But why would StarClan choose to include a normal cat like him along with a special cat like her? That thought made Waterpaw suddenly feel a lot more ordinary than she cared to feel.

"So, you said you were gathering moss?" Grasspaw meowed, padding over to a small clump of trees. Waterpaw followed him over, and they crouched together under the barely budding branches of a birch tree. "Why were you doing that? I mean, it clearly wasn't so you guys'd have something to drink, so…"

"The apprentices' den had a hole and all the rain was coming through and flooding it," Waterpaw explained. "Shellpaw and I went out to gather moss so we could-" She broke off. Shellpaw! Was her friend looking for her?! "I'm sorry," she mewed to Grasspaw. "I've got to go."

How could Waterpaw have forgotten?! Not only had her task entirely slipped her mind; she'd left all the moss she'd already collected back at the Horseplace! Now it was probably all wet- or a horse could have eaten it! Did horses eat moss? Waterpaw had no idea.

Either way, she had to go back for her moss so that Shellpaw wouldn't get worried about her. "It's been nice talking to you again," she told Grasspaw. "I hope that whole prophecy thing gets figured out soon. I need to know how I'm supposed to save everybody." She cringed even as she said that; did she sound conceited? She hoped not, but it was true that she was supposed to be a special cat. There was no point in pretending she was normal like Grasspaw.

Fortunately, though, Grasspaw didn't seem fazed by her accidental rudeness. "It was nice talking to you, too," he told her. "I hope I can see you at the next Gathering."

"Oh, that's right; there's a Gathering in a few days," Waterpaw remembered. The thought of being able to meet up with Grasspaw and have a proper conversation again brightened her up even as the sky remained cloudy and the rain continued to pour down on them. "Well, I hope to see you then!"

"Hope to see you then," Grasspaw echoed, waving his tail. He got up and turned to go back to his camp, and Waterpaw headed back into her own territory. She hadn't realized that she'd crossed the WindClan border; her pelt warmed at the realization that Grasspaw hadn't pointed it out to her. Maybe he'd been so glad to see her that he hadn't noticed either!

The moss was still there right where Waterpaw had left it. She picked it up and went on searching for more, hoping no cat would find out about her little detour.


	8. Chapter 8

"You're absolutely certain that this is the prophecy that Mossnose was told about?" Sandstar inquired warily. "Why would StarClan choose to warn the RiverClan medicine cat about a prophecy, but give the actual prophecy to WindClan?"

Podtail lashed his tail. "You don't know what it felt like, Sandstar," he muttered. "StarClan was speaking directly through me in that moment. Grasspaw saw it; why don't you explain it, Grasspaw?"

Grasspaw had figured he'd be getting called on to retell his encounter with Podtail at the lake the previous day. Why else would the medicine cat have brought him in with him to disclose the event with Sandstar? He cleared his throat and did his best to summarize:

"I went down to the lake almost involuntarily. It was like my paws were moving on their own," he began, not sure how he could give words to such an otherworldly event. "Podtail was there, and when he spoke the clouds above him got darker and started to swirl. His fur stood on end and the wind picked up, and when he spoke his eyes glowed and his voice was really weird and echo-y."

Sandstar nodded along thoughtfully to Grasspaw's recount. Once he was done, the leader slowly raised himself to his paws, his joints creaking as he did so. "That confirms it, then," he meowed. "Grasspaw, you are the cat who will save us all."

What? That couldn't be right. Grasspaw was about to explain that Sandstar had to be wrong- there was nothing special whatsoever about him- when Podtail did it for him.

"With all due respect, Sandstar," Podtail meowed, his light brown tail swishing irritably, "Grasspaw may be a good cat, but he's no saviour of ours. I believe we should relay this message to Miststar; doesn't he always go on about one of his young cats being destined to be the saviour of the Clans or something?"

Maybe some other cat would have felt hurt by Podtail not even stopping to consider that the prophecy could be about them, but Grasspaw was grateful. He didn't want there to be anything unordinary about him, and he was positive there wasn't (besides his cursed pelt colour, but that was another story). Waterpaw was clearly the special one, and he was happy for her. From what Grasspaw could tell, she deserved a grand destiny better than any cat n his pathetic little Clan.

But Sandstar didn't take Podtail's suggestion well. "This prophecy belongs to WindClan," he hissed. "We need to be saved right now more than any other Clan. Why won't you let StarClan give us what we need?!"

"Because that's not what they're offering," Podtail shot back. "I happened to be down at the lake gathering herbs at the time. StarClan simply used me as a vessel to convey their message."

"At least let him go tell Mossnose about the prophecy," Grasspaw pleaded. "Please, Sandstar… I don't _want_ a prophecy about me. I don't want to save the world, and I don't think I could if I tried."

Sandstar gazed at him with hollow eyes. "Why would you say such a thing, Grasspaw?" he whispered. "Why not allow yourself to be as great as I know you are meant to be?"

Grasspaw already knew the answer: because he wasn't meant for greatness. The best he hoped for was a half-decent future as a warrior and a relatively long life. Some days he half-wanted to get away from his dull life, but he wasn't completely lacking in pride for his Clan. There were one or two cats he liked spending time with, and there wasn't anything better for him outside of the WindClan borders.

But Sandstar was clearly too deluded to see Grasspaw for the ordinary cat he was. The poor old fool was desperate for salvation, but he didn't even realize that WindClan's real problem lied within his position as leader.

Podtail turned to Grasspaw and angled his ears outside the leader's den. "I think you'd better go," he muttered. "This discussion isn't meant for the ears of _ordinary_ apprentices."

Grasspaw nodded, although he paused just outside the little alcove that Sandstar called his den and cast his eyes up to the proper leader's den, which had been unoccupied for as long as he could remember. Roseflower had taken to sleeping next to Sandstar as of late, as she always complained that the warriors' den was too cold and crowded. If only she'd just retire, Sandstar could make a younger warrior deputy and then live out the rest of his life knowing that he'd have a good cat to take his place once he was gone. Grasspaw wondered what life the old sandy tom was on. Surely by now it had to be one of his last.

The WindClan camp was covered in rain from the previous day and night, when the rain had finally let up around moonhigh. It wasn't raining now, but it was overcast, and the clouds felt as though they could produce more rain at any moment. Grasspaw tried to shake the sense of foreboding that looking up at the gray sky brought him. It was just a cloudy sky; it didn't mean anything.

 _What am I doing here?_

Waterpaw wondered this as she sat on the riverbank, letting the river run over her paws, cooling them down and washing off the caked-on mud from yesterday.

Why was she sitting there wasting time cleaning her paws off? Wasn't there anything better she could or should be doing? It felt like there was, but she couldn't find anything to do. Foxfang's mate, Lakesplash, had just found out she was expecting kits, and Foxfang had been fluttering around her all day in concern, even though Mossnose said she was in perfect health and the ginger tom had no need to worry. He'd been so busy making sure his mate was doing okay that he hadn't bothered taking his apprentice out, so Waterpaw had gathered some moss and checked the elders for ticks and helped soak up the last but of excess water in the apprentices' den. Those things had kept her busy for most of the day, but it had been barely past sunhigh and Waterpaw had gotten restless. What she really wanted to do was some battle training, but Foxfang was too busy with Lakesplash to do that!

Instead, she'd asked Miststar if she could go hunting, and he'd given her permission as long as Patchfur went with her. The black-and-white tom hadn't shut up the whole time about some she-cat or tom or something else entirely- Waterpaw hadn't caught who his newest obsession was, but she was sure they'd have no interest in him, like all the other cats he'd chased. They'd crossed a particularly muddy ditch while out hunting for some land prey, and after going back to camp to drop off the mice they'd caught, they'd headed back out, but not to hunt this time.

Patchfur slunk off to StarClan-knows-where- probably to the border, where he'd probably agreed to meet with some attractive young cat from another Clan. They probably wouldn't be there, just as the last seven hadn't been there. Patchfur was one of the best at falling in love with cats he shouldn't fall in love with, but one of the worst at getting them to love him back. Waterpaw was just glad he was unlucky in love, because a forbidden romance could get him in real trouble if any cat found out about it.

It was a good thing Waterpaw was too smart to ever fall for a cat from across the border. She hoped to become better friends with Grasspaw, but friendship was all she'd ever let it be. Her destiny was going to be something so great that no tom could ever be worth it, and breaking the warrior code was an imperfection she doubted StarClan would forgive.

Now she was washing her muddy paws off in the river. A few chunks of ice still floated in the icy water, but most of it had melted, combining with the rainfall of the previous day to push the water level high above what it normally was. Once Waterpaw felt that her paws were sufficiently clean, she stepped out into the current, letting it tug at her fur. The undercurrent dragged her paws downstream, but she unsheathed her claws and dug them into the mossy rocks at the bottom of the water so she wouldn't get pulled away.

The water lapped at Waterpaw's fluffy white chest fur, and she craned her neck so that it wouldn't reach her muzzle. There were fish swimming around her, frantically changing their course to avoid her. A cloud of minnows swam by and she touched her nose to the water and watched them- too small to eat, but fun to observe. She took a deep breath in and stuck her head under the water, letting go of the bottom altogether and letting the current carry her along for a minute before striking out with her powerful hind legs, swimming upwards against the current.

Waterpaw always struggled with opening her eyes underwater. But whenever she did, she felt like she was in a different world. She pushed herself up to a little waterfall- not a proper waterfall; it was only a tail-length or so high- and climbed out of the river for a second. She scrambled up the rocks at the side of the river and little chips of shale showered down behind her before she reached the top, coiled her muscles, and leaped over the little falls, splashing into the turbulent water below. It was a thing she'd heard of twolegs doing sometimes when they came to the lake in greenleaf, and it was very fun, especially in that one moment at the top when you never knew if you were going to make it over the falls.

A little chunk of ice floated by and Waterpaw pushed herself as far down as she could and let the chunk float by overtop of her. She flipped herself over and dug her claws into the chunk of ice and it carried her a bit downstream before breaking apart. Then Waterpaw saw a trout swimming downstream and she clung to an algae-covered rock until it swam by, at which point she reached out and nabbed it. Waterpaw flung the trout out of the river and let it flop around until it was dead while she continued swimming, relishing in the sensation of her body submerged in cold water.

It was hard to tell how much time passed. But before long, the sun was low in the sky, and it was time to go back to camp. Waterpaw hoisted herself out of the river, surprised to find herself staring up at a triumphantly grinning Patchfur.

"Hey, Waterpaw," he purred, pressing his paw teasingly to Waterpaw's forehead as though he was going to try to push her back in the water. "Living up to your name, I see."

Waterpaw shook out her pelt defiantly, spraying Patchfur. He jumped back, trying to look offended but in too a good a mood for it to be convincing. There was a twig poking out form between his lips, dotted with fuzzy, newly formed pussy willows. It carried the scent of ShadowClan; Waterpaw sighed. It made sense that even Patchfur would hit a streak of luck sometimes, but she really didn't want him to do anything he'd regret.

"Sooo," she mewed as they padded back to camp together. "Tell me all about it."

"Well, they're… younger than I expected," Patchfur meowed slowly. "Still an apprentice, actually. But they've been an apprentice for longer than usual. Jadestar's been holding them back because they're too 'rebellious'." He rolled his eyes and let out a disbelieving snort. "What kind of leader does that?! Anyways, their name is Birchpaw and they are _insanely_ cute. We're going to meet up at the Gathering tomorrow night."

Waterpaw wanted to be happy for her friend, but she was forced to hope things would turn out badly and it felt awful. Patchfur couldn't keep doing this! His casual disregard for the warrior code always baffled Waterpaw. Didn't he care what his Clanmates thought? Didn't he care what _Miststar_ thought?!

But she didn't want to tell any of that to her friend. Instead, she asked, "so, what does Birchpaw look like?"

"Oh, they're _breathtaking_ ," Patchfur sighed with a dreamy look in his eyes. "They're a tabby, with really light brown fur and darker brown and black stripes! Their face has some white on it too, and they've got the most _dazzling_ green eyes!"

"Why do you keep calling them 'they'?" Waterpaw wondered. "Didn't they tell you whether they were a she-cat or a tom?"

"I'm just using the pronouns they told me to use," Patchfur meowed. "But from what I could tell Birchpaw is… biologically… a she-cat." He jumped up onto an old decaying log and walked along on top of it for a while before jumping down. "I really think they like me."

That was what Waterpaw was worried about. She wanted to tell him so, but she knew he wouldn't listen. So she simply walked along in silence, listening to her friend babble on about his new (forbidden, not that he cared) love. Sometimes she envied cats who had a simpler life- like Grasspaw. Surely none of his Clanmates were like this, and he never had to worry about his every action in case StarClan didn't like something he did. Maybe it was wrong to be critical of such a blessed life, but sometimes it felt more like a curse to Waterpaw.

Clouds still covered most of the sky, but far to the west there was a strip of purple and orange that let Grasspaw know that the sun was setting. He sighed, hoping that the weather would clear up for the Gathering the next night. He wanted to be able to see the moon and the stars shining clearly so he would know StarClan approved of what he was doing.

He told this to Seedpelt, who was sharing a rabbit he'd caught with him, and the glossy brown tom didn't seem to understand Grasspaw's reasoning.

"Don't get your hopes too high," Seedpelt muttered to him. "For all you know, you might not even get invited."

"I guess you're right," Grasspaw grumbled. "I'd just like to think I have something to look forward to."

Seedpelt blinked at him. "Please don't tell me you're back to that awful nihilistic attitude of yours," he sighed. "I thought you'd gotten over that when you became an apprentice."

"I'm not nihilistic," Grasspaw objected. "My life just happens to be horrible."

Seedpelt rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say," he muttered. Then he placed his front paw on Grasspaw's muzzle and guided it over so that Grasspaw was facing him and said more seriously, "Grasspaw, you have plenty to look forward to in life. And one day you'll accomplish something that makes you feel special, even if you don't have any kind of mystical destiny. Every warrior gets that chance at some point."

Grasspaw knew his friend was right, but it didn't feel like it. Getting a chance to interact with cats from other Clans seemed like the best thing that could happen to a cat like him, with his own Clan in such a sorry state. It would still be several moons before Grasspaw and his littermates would become warriors, and he just wasn't sure if he could wait that long without his rabbit-brained Clanmates driving him crazy. Other than Seedpelt, he could hardly stand any of them.

Not for the first time, Grasspaw felt a pang of jealousy for Waterpaw's life. She lived in a thriving Clan, with no littermates and lots of cats who liked her. She even had a prophecy about her. If Grasspaw could change places with her, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

Well, maybe he wouldn't really do that. A nice life would be fun, but swimming didn't appeal to Grasspaw in the slightest. He didn't like to get his paws wet, and fish smelled horrible. Besides, Grasspaw would never want all the pressure that would come with having a prophecy about him. How could cats like that even live their daily lives? It seemed awful to Grasspaw, but Waterpaw always seemed so happy about it that he figured he was just missing some critical aspect of it that made having a special life enjoyable.

Maybe he'd ask her about it at the Gathering- if Roseflower included him in the group of cats that were going. It was hard to say if the elderly deputy would even bother to include him in that group this time around; after all, it wasn't as if there was anything extraordinary about him that would warrant him being there. He was just another average cat.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh StarClan, it's sure been a while since I've uploaded a chapter of this! (A while by my standards, at least…) I could say it's because we went camping for five nights, but after we got back I just HAD to upload TWO new chapters of my time-travel Bencutio fix-it fic that like fifty people have glanced at before getting around to making another chapter of this. Oops. And this chapter is way more comedic with way less actually happening in it than I intended. Oops again.**

Pale gray clouds drifted lazily across the sky, covering most of the stars but leaving the full moon exposed in a sign that StarClan approved of the Gathering that night. Waterpaw bounced up and down in excitement at the thought of getting to spend another evening with Grasspaw- if he was even going. Unlike her, there wasn't anything special about him that would guarantee him a spot in the roster. Still, she couldn't help but hope that the greenish-gray tom would be there. The whole point of a Gathering was to talk to other Clans, right? And last moon, Grasspaw had been the only non-RiverClan cat Waterpaw had been remotely interested in talking to.

Minnowleap groomed Waterpaw even though she wasn't dirty at all before they left. "We've got to have you looking as nice as possible," she purred. "If you don't look beautiful, how's any cat supposed to know how special you are, my little stardust?"

Waterpaw lapped up her mother's compliments as her coarse tongue ran along her fur. Minnowleap's praise had become rarer since Waterpaw had helped out Arrow the kittypet- an act she now regretted ever doing. Of course her mother and other Clanmates still valued her more highly than any other cat, but now there was a certain… fakeness to their love at times. Waterpaw was just glad that Minnowleap was kin, because that meant she'd always love her for real.

Patchfur and Smokefur were kin too, although more distant. Smokefur had come down with a light bout of whitecough just the previous evening, so he couldn't go to the Gathering, but Patchfur was going, and the black-and-white tom looked positively ecstatic at the prospect of seeing Birchpaw.

Oakpaw and Shellpaw both had greencough as well, so their parents were staying behind to look after them, and Mallowpaw was a bit nervous about going without her littermates. Waterpaw had told her to stick with her so she wouldn't get scared, although she was starting to regret it now. How was she supposed to get alone with Grasspaw if Mallowpaw was hanging over her shoulder all night?

 _Well, maybe I can think about that when I get there_ , Waterpaw decided. _Besides, it`s not like Grasspaw and I are going to be doing anything that`s against the warrior code. We`re_ supposed _to talk to cats from other Clans at Gatherings!_

"I must say, Waterpaw, you're looking especially lovely tonight," Minnowleap was saying now. "Why, I wouldn't be surprised if some nasty tom from another Clan tried to snatch you up!"

Waterpaw purred, hoping it didn't sound too stilted. "I'm sure that won't happen," she mewed. "I mean, come on, mother; I'm only an apprentice. Toms at my age aren't thinking about love."

"How can you be so sure?" Minnowleap whispered, leaning in so close that the fur on the inside of Waterpaw's ear was ruffled. "In the past, cats with prophecies about them have often fallen prey to the wiles of forbidden love. Should you ever be seduced by such a thing, I'll be sure that Miststar punishes you- though it would simply break my heart if you would force me to do so."

"I'm not going to fall in love with a tom from another Clan," Waterpaw insisted, her freshly-groomed fur bushing up. "So just shut up about it!"

"Waterpaw!" Minnowleap gasped. "That is no way to talk to your mother!" She gave Waterpaw a swipe across the nose and Waterpaw lowered her head in shame; she deserved that.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, staring down at her paws. "I spoke out of line. It won't happen again."

"I'd expect that it won't," Minnowleap hissed. Then her silver-gray fur flattened out and she pressed her muzzle to Waterpaw's cheek. "You're a good cat," she mewed softly. "As soon as you learn that being rude is bad, you'll stop and become just as perfect as you should be."

Waterpaw couldn't help but feel a prickle of frustration at her mother's patronizing tone, but she was right- just as she had been right when she'd scolded Waterpaw the same way when she'd wandered out of camp as a kit.

Waterpaw remembered being told she was going to be special one day ever since she was very young. So one day, she had decided to prove that she really was special. Her littermates had been alive back then, and one of them- Splashkit- had begged to come with her. So they'd gone together down to the stream to try to catch a fish. But they'd been caught, and Waterpaw recalled being very frightened by Minnowleap in that moment. It had been the first time she'd ever been yelled at by her mother. Splashkit had caught a cold from falling in the water and died shortly after, and Waterpaw always felt like Minnowleap blamed her for it, although she never said she did.

But there was no reason to dwell on long-gone sadness now. The cats were about to leave for the Gathering! Mallowpaw ran up to Waterpaw the second they left the camp, clinging to her and keeping Minnowleap, who was also going this time, a few tail-lengths away. Waterpaw guessed that her mother was hanging back because there was another cat already keeping a close eye on Waterpaw.

She sure hoped she'd get to see Grasspaw.

Grasspaw sat in his nest, his tail flicking irritably. "Why do I have to stay behind?" he grumbled. "It's no fair!"

"Life isn't fair," sighed Applepaw. She stood up and shook out her fur, which still had a few stray burrs sticking to it form when she'd run into a prickly push earlier that day while out training. "Just look at these rabbit-brained burrs in my pelt."

"At least Berrypaw got to go," Barkstripe mewed. The young tabby warrior was staying in the apprentices' den since all the other warriors had gone to the Gathering- even Lilyflower, although Runningfoot had let her lean on him so she could walk better.

"Berrypaw only got to go because she threw a fit," Grasspaw pointed out. He let out a long sigh as he stared out at the cloudy night sky. "Maybe I should've tried doing that," he added dryly.

"So Sandstar didn't put you on the roster this moon," Applepaw mewed. "So what?! Next moon we'll probably all be going again, and you can see that little RiverClan she-cat you like so much."

"It's not just because of Waterpaw!" Grasspaw snapped, surprised to hear his own voice come out closer to a hiss than he'd meant. Applepaw jumped back and Barkstripe glared at him. "Sorry," he mumbled, hanging his head.

Applepaw smoothed out her ruffled fur with a couple of indignant licks, and Barkstripe harrumphed and turned away to stare at a crack in the den wall that a dandelion was growing out of.

"Did Podtail say these flowers could be used for anything again?" Applepaw wondered, leaning over to stare at the dandelion that Barkstripe was looking at. She reached out tentatively to touch it with her front paw, and when she did, she batted at the flower for a bit, a slow smile creeping across her face. "I thought it might be prickly," she mewed. "But it wasn't!"

Barkstripe purred and raised her own paw, putting briefly on top of Applepaw's to bat at the flower herself. As soon as the two she-cats' paws touched, Applepaw's fur fluffed up again and she backed away, scooting out from under Barkstripe's outstretched front leg.

"S-sorry," Barkstripe mumbled. "I didn't know you had a problem with me touching you."

Applepaw shook her head, the reddish patches of her fur never suiting her more. "It's okay!" she mewed. "I-in fact, I really appreciated it! I just… wasn't expecting it!"

Grasspaw groaned. It was hard enough listening to his littermate rant about her crush practically every day was hard enough, but every time the two of them interacted he always ended up getting some serious second-paw embarrassment from Applepaw whenever she got flustered. That sister of his was a lost cause if he'd ever seen one.

Somehow, Barkstripe didn't seem to notice how flustered Applepaw obviously- to Grasspaw, at least- was, or if she did notice then she didn't react like she did. Applepaw flattened out her fur again and went back to staring at the dandelion. Barkstripe hesitated for a moment before gently tugging the flower away from the crack in the rock and holding it between her jaws. Then she pressed her muzzle against Applepaw's, passing the dandelion to her as she did so.

"StarClan help me," Grasspaw breathed. Had his sister actually managed to win over a warrior?

Then Barkstripe pulled away and purred, "I'm sorry about the awkward method, but I saw you looking at that flower like you wanted it. There you go!"

"Uhhhh," Applepaw said. Then she snapped back to attention. "Th-thank you, Barkstripe! I didn't really want the flower, but thank you anyway!"

Barkstripe's tail drooped a bit. "Again, I'm sorry about the way I did it," she mewed in a more subdued tone. "I just… thought you'd like it. But… don't get any ideas, okay? It was a mistake that won't happen again." She paused and fixed Applepaw with a meaningful glance. "At least not until you're older."

With a swish of her tail, Barkstripe quietly left the apprentices' den to go wait in her own nest in the warriors' den. Grasspaw was left alone with Applepaw, as he would be all through the night. It was so frustrating that Seedpelt had been chosen to go to the Gathering, but not him! Unable to express his frustration without taking it out on Applepaw- which he normally didn't have any qualms about, but seeing her looking so in love made him hesitate tonight- Grasspaw worked his claws into the soil.

Even if he couldn't be there, he hoped that Waterpaw was having fun.

For once, WindClan had actually been on time, and it was ShadowClan of all Clans that the other three Clans had to wait on. Waterpaw remembered with an uneasy prickle that ShadowClan was home to Birchpaw, Patchfur's newest infatuation. Were they the reason their Clan was being held up?

At least that meant Waterpaw had time to look for Grasspaw before the Gathering started. But no matter how much she padded around the cramped island, tasting the air for her friend's scent, there was no sign of him. She did run into two young WindClan cats, though: a light brown she-cat with a bright pink nose, and a sleek tom whose brown pelt was remarkably long and luxurious.

Waterpaw introduced herself to them with a wave of her tail. "I'm Waterpaw of RiverClan," she mewed- it was the way Minnowleap had taught her to introduce herself. "According to prophecy, I'm the future saviour of the Clans. What can I do for you?"

"Um, hi?" the brown tom muttered. Then his amber eyes widened. "Waterpaw… Grasspaw told me all about you!" He nodded toward the light brown she-cat. "This here is Grasspaw's sister, Berrypaw. I'm Seedpelt."

Waterpaw craned her neck to look behind them, but she couldn't pick out a single greenish-gray hair in the crowd of milling pelts. She sighed; Grasspaw clearly wasn't there.

"Is Grasspaw here?" she asked nonetheless, just in case. "I've been looking all over, but I can't find him."

Seedpelt shook his head. "He and Berrypaw have another sister- Applepaw- and she stayed behind too," he explained. "Berrypaw's only here because she begged to. Barkstripe stayed behind too- mostly because Applepaw asked and Barkstripe couldn't say no to her."

"Oh, really?" Waterpaw mumbled, but in reality she was already zoning out. She had no interest in the lives of these common WindClan cats and the run-down Clan they lived in. Grasspaw was the exception, not the rule.

"Yeah, Applepaw's got a crush on Barkstripe," Berrypaw chirped. Then she blinked guiltily and added, "But please don't tell her I told you this, because she's reeaaally shy about it!"

Waterpaw almost felt like telling the little cat that she didn't need to worry about her sister's secret crush getting out, because no cat would care. She-cats as young as her were far too young to have mates, so they didn't usually talk about who they liked, but that didn't mean it was strange for any cat to spare a few glances at an attractive young tom.

Beside Waterpaw, Mallowpaw shifted her paws restlessly. "Um, Waterpaw?" she mumbled. "Would you mind… introducing me to these cats as well?"

Shame heated Waterpaw's skin. How could she have been so careless as to forget about her friend?! "Sorry," she meowed, pointing her muzzle to Mallowpaw. "Seedpelt, Berrypaw; this is my friend Mallowpaw. Her littermates got sick and couldn't come, so I told her to stick with me tonight."

Mallowpaw nodded, scuffing her paws in the dirt. "You guys seem nice," she murmured. "Waterpaw was telling me all about your friend Grasspaw earlier. She really likes him."

Seedpelt's whiskers quivered in amusement. "Does she now?" he purred. "I just hope she doesn't like him too much, because you're from-"

"-Different Clans," Waterpaw grumbled. "I know, I know. But that doesn't matter on nights like these, which is why I'm a bit disappointed that he's not here. But since I have a reputation to uphold, I'll avoid giving you a hard time about it."

She had no idea why she was pouring her heart out to some strangers, but it clearly wasn't doing any harm. As long as she didn't tell them about the time they'd met up by the lake, they wouldn't think of it as any more than it was between Waterpaw and Grasspaw: barely a friendship; certainly nothing more. If she ever allowed it to become more than that, her life would be ruined.

Waterpaw couldn't let herself be as flawed as that.


	10. Chapter 10

_Wind rippled through the field of grass, and a light rain drizzled over it. The water, in small amounts, made the grass grow and twist into the shape of a cat. Then the rain fell into the shape of a cat as well, and they both stood for a moment before trying to touch._

 _As soon as contact between the two cats was made, they both disappeared. The cat made of grass became grass once more, shriveling and dying and dinking into the ground. The cat made of water dissipated into thousands of tiny dewdrops that fell and clung to the grass. But the grass hissed and curled and died as the dewdrops clung to the blades, as though they were fire instead of water. The dewdrops began to spread, covering and killing the entire field, all because those two cats couldn't stay apart._

Grasspaw had never been good at remembering dreams, and he'd never generally cared to. He thought of them as pointless; after all, he wasn't a Clan leader or a medicine cat or anything, and he had no intention of ever becoming either one. So StarClan would never send him an important vision or anything, meaning all his dreams were just dreams.

But the moment he started awake from that dream, shaken to the core by the image of the water destroying the grass as it touched it, Grasspaw knew exactly what it meant. It would have been obvious to any cat, surely- he needed to tell Waterpaw right now that the two of them had to stay apart! _Maybe,_ Grasspaw thought darkly, _it was a good thing I didn't get invited to the Gathering after all._

That's right- the Gathering! Grasspaw didn't how when he'd fallen asleep, or how long he'd been asleep for, but it hadn't felt like long. When he craned his neck to peer past Applepaw, who was sprawled in a very immodest position across her nest and was tossing and turning wildly, it looked like Berrypaw's nets was still empty. The camp was very quiet, too; maybe the Gathering was still on!

It was an insanely risky and rabbit-brained idea, but Grasspaw needed to tell Waterpaw about his dream right away. Otherwise, she might seek him out again at another Gathering, or if they ran into each other when they were both on border patrols, or if one of them chased some prey across the border by accident… Or maybe if they met up by the lake again, in the strip of no-cat's land on the beach, and walked along that in the pale moonlight…

"No, no, no!" Grasspaw cried, not realizing it was out loud until the sound of his own voice made him jump. He glanced down at Applepaw, but she was still sleeping. It figured; his littermates were both heavy sleepers, and they often made a lot of noise while they slept. It had led to Grasspaw- a much lighter sleeper than either of them- being woken up in the middle of the night one too many times by Applepaw's snoring or Berrypaw whimpering in her sleep.

"No," he repeated, still aloud but in a whisper now. "What am I thinking? I can't do that with Waterpaw! We're from different Clans, and even if we weren't, I just had a vision saying I had to stay away from her or she'll kill me!"

 _And besides that_ , he thought but didn't say aloud for fear some cat might hear him after all, _there's no way a cat so wonderful would ever want to do that stuff with me!_

Grasspaw picked his way across the apprentices' den, being careful not to disturb Applepaw, and slunk out of camp. The entry tunnel was being guarded by Barkstripe at the moment, but she had fallen asleep as well, so he didn't even have to make up a story this time. As soon as Grasspaw was far enough away from the WindClan camp to be sure no cat could hear his paws hitting the earth, he broke into a sprint. He was so caught up in his one goal that he didn't notice the brown speckled feather that drifted down from the sky, bearing an unfamiliar scent.

He had to talk to Waterpaw!

"Hunting is going splendidly in ThunderClan," Ringstar boasted from his branch on the tree. "The mice and voles are coming back! Just yesterday Snakepaw caught his first squirrel, and Shadepaw helped bring down a crow the other day!"

Waterpaw rolled her eyes as the ThunderClan leader babbled on about what else his kits had done lately. She was just glad she wasn't the daughter of any cat as important as that. It had been rumoured that her father had been half-Clan, but the rumours were most likely false, and he was dead now anyway, so it didn't count. Minnowleap was just a normal cat, so she always said she'd felt extra-special when she found out StarClan had chosen her to birth the cat who'd save the Clans one day.

Would Waterpaw actually save the Clans, though? That wasn't really what the prophecy Grasspaw had talked about had said, exactly. Maybe the savior that rose from the rain would save a lot, or maybe they'd just save something small, like a sick cat or a patch or territory from being taken over. Of course it was more likely to be something big, though. Why else would StarClan waste time making a whole prophecy about it? Waterpaw had to believe that she was going to do something really big, because without her destiny, who was she?

As for the "vanishing into the waves" part… who was that about? Who was the "other"? It couldn't be her, because she was going to be the saviour, right? Then could it be… Grasspaw? Waterpaw shuddered at the thought of the young WindClan cat slipping into an icy lake; being engulfed by unforgiving waves. But if that was his destiny, and saving the Clans was her destiny, then Waterpaw couldn't change that.

 _Maybe I should try not to get too attached_ , she thought. _Just in case the prophecy is about him dying, I don't want to be sad when that happens._ But Waterpaw knew it was really much too late to prevent herself from getting attached to Grasspaw.

Up on the tree, Ringstar's tangent about his perfect little family was winding down. Waterpaw had tuned most of it out to think about the prophecy, but she caught something near the end about a new warrior and she let out a halfhearted cheer, shouting the name of the warrior ("Heronleg! Heronleg!") a couple times so no cat would think she was being rude by not showing her support.

It took Waterpaw a second to notice that not only was she the only one cheering; the crowd had gone completely silent, and every cat was staring- many of them _glaring_ \- at her. Her skin went hot beneath her fur; had she heard Ringstar wrong?!

A black-and white she cat stood up on her hind legs and hissed, "Ringstar, did you see that RiverClan brat cheering about the death of my son?!"

 _Death?!_ Waterpaw's heart sank; was that what Ringstar had said? She'd thought for sure he'd said he'd just made a new warrior… but apparently what he'd actually said was that he'd tragically lost a new warrior in some sort of accident. She shrunk back, shame spreading through every fibre of her pelt. "I'm so sorry," she muttered. "I didn't hear Ringstar properly. I thought he said-"

"No excuses," the black-and-white queen snarled. She began to push through the crowd, heading straight toward Waterpaw. "You're glad that we're suffering, aren't you? You just see us as another enemy- gloating over our losses!"

Oh, mouse-dung. Waterpaw cursed herself for not keeping her mouth shut, or at least waiting to make sure other cats were actually cheering. She tried to assure the grieving queen that she hadn't meant anything by it, but clouds were already beginning to float in front of the moon. The peace was about to be disturbed.

Waterpaw jumped back as the ThunderClan queen sprang at her, but her paws skidded on the pine needle-strewn ground and she lost balance. The queen tackled her to the ground and began ruthlessly pummeling her belly. Around them, cats murmured, clearly distressed but none of them offering any help. Waterpaw bit down on the queen's forepaw and she rolled off her, shrieking.

"Everybody, stop this at once!" Ringstar's distressed voice boomed from the tree. "Clouds have blocked out the moon; StarClan is angry with us!"

"Looks like the Gathering is over already," Jadestar muttered, curling her lip contemptuously. "What a pity."

Sandstar's eyes whipped back and forth between the other leaders and Waterpaw. "What's going on?!" he demanded. "Who's that cat?"

"You should know," Miststar gloated. "She's the future saviour of the Clans- Waterpaw. Haven't you heard the prophecy of the water-coloured cat?"

"The deepest waters I've ever seen have been green, not blue," Sandstar wheezed indignantly. "The prophecy is about Grasspaw!"

Several RiverClan voices ran gout in protest, none louder than Minnowleap's. "My daughter is destined for greater things than any cat from your pathetic excuse for a Clan could ever be!" she snarled. "Waterpaw is perfect!"

"Waterpaw is perfect". They were words Waterpaw had been taught to believe her entire life. But in this exact place and time, in the wake of a huge error on her part that had led to her being attacked by a stranger, she wasn't feeling so perfect anymore.

And suddenly, nearly dead-centre in a clearing that had hated her one moment, and now was caught in a battle between hating and loving her, Waterpaw couldn't stand being there any longer. It was as Jadestar had said: the moon being covered meant the Gathering was over. She was no longer obligated to be there. So Waterpaw pushed past a cluster of ShadowClan toms and darted around a small circle of elders from various Clans and ran. She ran out of the clearing and through undergrowth for a few seconds before coming out at the edge of the lake where she hopped over the stepping-stones and ran along the shore. Waterpaw ignored the protests and yowls coming from behind her. They faded into the distance fairly quickly anyway; no cat was bothering to go after her.

Where would she go? The thought didn't cross Waterpaw's mind until she found herself slowing down, out of breath. She couldn't go back and face those cats, and she couldn't run back to the RiverClan camp- not just yet. But she wouldn't just run away, either. This wasn't worth throwing her life away for. There was only one place she felt that she confidently could go to, and that wasn't really a place at all, but a cat.

Waterpaw stayed by the lake, shivering in the cool spring air that froze the moisture on her damp paws, making them numb with cold. She twisted them around on the ground and sheathed and unsheathed her claws to keep the blood circulating, but it didn't do much to warm them up. Waterpaw buried her paws in the sand, which had still been frozen less than a week ago. It was amazing how fast things changed.

Just as Waterpaw had gathered up the courage to go back and face whatever reaction she'd be met with upon walking into camp alone, a wail rang out from the distance. It was coming from the one place Waterpaw had stubbornly refused to look at while padding across the stripe of beach- WindClan territory.

She couldn't do this again. Even with how chillingly familiar that voice sounded, she couldn't do it again. Minnowleap would be angry if she endangered herself again for the sake of one of them. It just wasn't worth it. Nevertheless, Waterpaw headed in the direction of the voice.

Owls were very large and threatening birds. A single apprentice could never hope to take one on and survive. But maybe two would stand half a chance, and half a chance was better than letting any cat die. Especially this cat.

Waterpaw didn't know what Grasspaw was doing so far away from his camp at this time of night, since he hadn't been invited to the Gathering. The explanation wasn't important. All that mattered was what Waterpaw was going to do about it. And she didn't know what she was going to do about it, but she knew she had to do something quick.

"Somebody help me!" Grasspaw wailed as the bird chased him down, gliding silently after him and gaining on him ever so slowly. The owl began to swoop down towards him, extending its talons. "Owlwing? Rabbitleap? Seedpelt? S-somebody help!"

Waterpaw crouched in a strip of long grass at the bottom of a hill. She could tell that Grasspaw wouldn't be able to outrun the owl, but she wasn't sure if she'd have time to run up to Grasspaw to fight it off. The only thing she could think of to do was-

"Hey, you dumb bird," Waterpaw yowled, running up the hill in a zigzag and waving her tail. "I'm over here! Come and get me!"

Grasspaw froze, staring, as Waterpaw prayed the owl closing in on him would chase after her instead. "W-Waterpaw, what are you-?"

Talons were less than a tail-length from Grasspaw, and he stood still, looking at Waterpaw with a strange mix of horror and admiration.

"What are you staring at?" she hissed. "I've got a special destiny, remember? StarClan has to keep me alive." Then stood up on her hind legs and waved her front paws at the owl. "Hey, look at me! Come and get me, you stupid owl!"

Grasspaw ducked, letting out a yelp as the owl's talons grazed the top of his head. With a silent flap of its wings, the owl flew past the trembling green-gray apprentice and began to follow Waterpaw. She ran as fast as she could and tried to make her movements as erratic as possible to throw it off, but she knew that if a WindClan cat couldn't outrun it, she wouldn't be able to either. It was only a matter of time before…

 _Yep, that's what I thought_. The owl was upon Waterpaw in a flash, and she dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. The owl went back up into the air to dive at her again, but this time Waterpaw was ready. She coiled her muscles and leaped up at the owl, taking it by surprise and coming down hard to the ground and taking it with her. She clawed at the owl's wing and then broke away before it could do too much to her in return, but not before it managed to rake a talon down her flank.

Out of the corner of her eye, Waterpaw saw Grasspaw still standing there, terrified. "What are you waiting for?!" she demanded, and paused for a moment, debating what to say next. "Go"? The more noble option, but also meaning certain death. Waterpaw knew deep down she might be special, but even she wasn't entirely perfect. This was a fight she couldn't win. "Help me out here!" was what she decided on instead.

"Help me out here," Waterpaw meowed to Grasspaw, and the words were all it took to send him to her side.

He crept up on the owl from behind; the bird was puffing out its chest and fluffing up its wings to make itself look bigger, while Waterpaw was using a similar strategy by fluffing up her fur and arching her back. Grasspaw kept his belly low to the ground and his tail down, as though he was sneaking up on a mouse rather than a large animal that could easily kill him.

Once he was close enough, Grasspaw struck. He jumped onto the owl's back and began furiously raking his claws down its back. The bird shrieked, and while it was trying to throw Grasspaw off Waterpaw bit down on its right wing- the same wing she'd already nicked. The owl clamped its beak around her ear and Grasspaw let out a furious yowl, wrapping his front legs around its giant head to claw at its neck. He felt a horrible bite on his leg and tried to pull away, but instead the rest of him was swung around to the front of the owl. He pushed at its chest and tried to wrench his front leg from its grip, but it held on tight, and Grasspaw realized that it would tear his leg off sooner than he'd get it to drop him.

Waterpaw clung to the owl's legs, weighing it down as it tied to take to the air. Her hind legs briefly left the ground, but she tugged down, and the owl went back down with her. Grasspaw clawed at the owl's chest and tried to reach its right wing, which was damaged, but apparently not enough to prevent the owl from flying, but he couldn't quite reach it. Instead he pummeled his hind legs against its torso, but it bit down harder on his front leg and he bit back a wail. Waterpaw shifted her weight entirely to the bird's left leg to try to imbalance it, but it lifted its right leg, which was now free, and dug its talons into her back. Waterpaw screeched, flailing around and clawing madly at the giant bird. She accidentally cut Grasspaw's cheek, but he wasn't exactly in the situation to complain about that.

The owl finally let go of his now quite chewed-up front leg, but only to drop him into its talons, which closed around him and reminded him how small he really was. Grasspaw kicked up at the owl's face, but his leg wasn't long enough to reach. Waterpaw scrabbled at the talons that held her, but the owl's grip didn't loosen as it took to the air, its damaged wing making its flight slightly irregular but not hindering it as seriously as Grasspaw had hoped.

The situation was hopeless. Grasspaw relaxed his muscles and let himself hang limply in the owl's grip while Waterpaw kept flailing, giving the owl a few scratches but unable to do any serious damage. She bit down and pulled out a clump of the owl's feathers, to which it responded by digging its talons in more tightly. Grasspaw felt something get punctured and he couldn't bring himself to yowl, instead letting out a faint gasp at the blood that now stained the bird's talon.

"Come on, Grasspaw," Waterpaw panted. "Don't just hand there! We've got to fight back!"

"We can't fight it when it's carrying us," Grasspaw sighed, trying to hide the pain that he felt when he spoke. "We may as well stop wasting our energy and just give up. Maybe when it takes us to its nest and tries to eat us we can take it by surprise and attack it again," he added when he saw the horrified look on Waterpaw's face. He didn't really believe such a thing would work, but it was worth it to give her hope. "We could try pushing it out of its own tree."

"It'd just fly," Waterpaw pointed out. She grinded her fangs a bit- Grasspaw could tell by the way she circled her bottom jaw around- and finally came up with, "I could scratch it really hard and tear its wings off, and then you could push it!"

Tearing an owl's wings off was so ridiculously impossible that Grasspaw couldn't help but let out a faint purr. Did Waterpaw actually think she could do that, or was she just trying to convince him- or herself- that she could do it?

The talons that dug into Grasspaw's fur hurt, but the pain was beginning to dull. It was late at night in the first place, and he was already tired. The blood loss only aided in his exhaustion. Maybe he'd sleep, just for a moment.

"Don't forget to wake me up," he murmured as his eyes fell shut, hoping that Waterpaw would hear him. "I don't want to… oversleep…"


	11. Chapter 11

One thought filled Waterpaw's mind, reverberating through her rattling skull with enough force to split the earth if only she could harness it to do so. That one thought was this: _I cannot die_. She couldn't afford to. It wouldn't be right. What about the prophecy? She had to stay alive, and so she could not die.

She clung on to that thought even as the owl carried her over the tops of trees that she recognized, even with her vision blurred from pain, as ThunderClan territory. Waterpaw closed her eyes for a moment and the next thing she knew they were flying over a thunderpath, deserted of monsters at this time of night. It was well past moonhigh by now, surely. Would any cat be able to help them? It seemed highly unlikely. She'd have to get herself out of this one.

Waterpaw groaned; the place where the owl had cut her flank still hurt, but the talons that squeezed her back now were even worse with how hard they dug in. She didn't have the energy to twist her head around and see for herself, but she could feel the places where it was bleeding.

Dangling next to her was Grasspaw- still out cold, and if he didn't wake up soon Waterpaw was worried that he wouldn't be alive for much longer. A talon had punctured his belly, and blood was still dripping down and falling all the way down to the ground, probably to leave a trail or red splatter on the ground for some cat or other creature to track. Waterpaw was hopeful for a minute that one of her Clanmates would find the trail and follow it, but then she remembered Grasspaw's- and her own- failure to outrun the owl. No cat would be able to track them down in time at this rate. The owl was significantly weighed down by them, but the air currents were helping it fly faster than Waterpaw would have thought possible.

Grasspaw stirred slightly, and Waterpaw perked up, swaying a bit in the owl's grip to propel herself closer to him. "Grasspaw," she whispered. "How are you feeling?"

He didn't answer. Waterpaw's spirits fell when she noticed the wind in her fur. Maybe he hadn't stirred at all- maybe it had just appeared that way with the wind blowing in his fur. Worse yet, a faint trickle of blood was coming out of the corner of his mouth. His head flopped limply at the end of his neck, where the owl had grabbed him; Waterpaw shivered, glad that at least the owl wasn't carrying them upside down. She'd hate to have all the blood rush to her head like that.

The owl, which had been flying very slowly since it was carrying two apprentices, shot up very suddenly into the sky- it must have hit a thermal. When they went up suddenly, Waterpaw coughed, choking on something. She scrabbled opened her jaws, coughing up blood.

Waterpaw stared at the blood falling out of her own mouth. _Where did that come from?_ she wondered, moving her tongue around the inside of her mouth and wanting to gag at the salty taste of her own blood. It stuck to her fangs as if she'd just killed a piece of prey, but in reality it was her own because she was going to be the prey very soon if she didn't do something.

A glance down at herself revealed the source of the blood- the wound on her side was deeper than she'd thought. Waterpaw felt bile sliding up her throat, and before she could clamp her jaws shut she puked, with blood mixed in. Waterpaw coughed and sputtered, wiping gunk away from her mouth and shaking it off her paws. The puke fell to the ground just like her blood, and Waterpaw wondered if the bird had even noticed. She knew she certainly would have if she'd been carrying a mouse and it had thrown up.

 _Stop thinking like that_ , she told herself. _I am not a mouse! I've got a destiny already, so I have to stay alive to do what StarClan wants me to do!_

Waterpaw stuck her claws into the gaps between the owl's talons and pushed away at them, using all the strength she had in her. If this failed, there would be nothing more for her to lose. To Waterpaw's admitted amazement, the talons loosened their grip on her- just a tiny bit, but it was a start. A newfound determination pumped through Waterpaw, and her adrenaline rush kicked in as she pried the talons another whisker-length or so off of her. Before long she was free to jump down whenever she wanted, which she intended to- but not just yet.

"Grasspaw, wake up," she hissed, batting at Grasspaw's tail to get his attention. He didn't respond, and panic flared through her. "Wake up!" she repeated, louder and more urgently this time. "You've got to wake up! Grasspaw!"

The owl let out an annoyed hoot, and dug its talons tighter into Waterpaw's fur. This time, it reached its grip further down Waterpaw's body, so that it was practically wrapping around her. Despite her terror, Waterpaw couldn't help but be a bit impressed. It must be quite strenuous on the bird's talon-muscles to reach so far across the body of a cat her size.

Bile burned her throat again, and Waterpaw's admiration vanished. She tilted her head back and forced herself to swallow it back down. She didn't want to throw up again; it would only add more humiliation to her excruciating and already fairly humiliating pain. Waterpaw fought to stay awake and ward off the pain, but she was beginning to feel numb…

In a last attempt to free herself, Waterpaw reached her leg up to the bottom of the owl's wing- the one that was already damaged. It was quite a reach, but the indignant strain of her muscles was an afterthought. She dug her claws in as hard as she could and the owl let out a high-pitched hoot, flapping its wings frantically. Its altitude dropped slightly and for a second its grip loosened enough for Waterpaw to slip out of its talons altogether. In that time, she dug her front claws into the owl and scratched and bit at it furiously, not letting up even when its altitude dropped significantly lower; Waterpaw spared a quick glance at the ground and was relieved to see trees. That meant they'd probably survive the fall.

Encouraged, she opened her jaws as wide as she could and took a bite out of its wing. The owl screeched, trying to stay in the air but not doing a very good job of it anymore. Its erratic flight patterns almost made Waterpaw throw up again. She wrapped her front paws the leg of the owl, digging her claws in so she wouldn't slip off, and kicked her back legs out at the owl's other foot. Grasspaw still dangled there, frighteningly limp, but Waterpaw reassured herself that he wouldn't be there for long.

The owl loosened its grip on Grasspaw's scruff and he slid slowly out. Waterpaw decided it was as good a time as any to let go, so she did, letting the owl fly lopsidedly away, leaving a trail of blood falling behind it. The two cats fell toward the trees below, and as she fell Waterpaw felt her conscious mind giving way to a dark veil.

Pain.

That was the first thing Grasspaw felt- a sharp, sudden pain that he soon learned was from tree branches digging into him. The second, third, fourth, and fifth things he felt were all pain as well, but all different kinds: a devastating pain in his stomach, a fading but still stinging pain in the back of his neck, a dull but still very present pain that wracked his entire body, and finally, a faint pain in his wringing brain.

Grasspaw fell from one branch of the tree to the next, down and down which each impact hurting, but not nearly as much as he hurt already, so it didn't matter. Actually, it did matter, but Grasspaw did his best to suck it up. What would Waterpaw think of him if-?

Waterpaw! Panic flared in Grasspaw's chest. Was she okay? Was she alive?! She must have been alive if Grasspaw was, unless the owl had just decided to drop them for no reason at all. He tried to turn his head to look for her and was met with more pain at the movement, and it was amplified as the back of his head smacked into yet another branch. Grasspaw braced himself for another branch, but instead he got a fall of about a fox-length and then leaf-strewn, root-covered ground. Needless to say, he didn't exactly land on his paws. Grasspaw groaned and lay there, afraid that if he moved his organs would spill out.

He must have passed out again at some point, because the next thing he knew, he was being immersed in water.

Grasspaw's eyes shot open and terror spiked through him; he couldn't breathe! "Rmmmnth," he protested, flailing against the current. It wasn't until the fangs that dug into his scruff- reminding him momentarily of the owl carrying him- and the light blue-gray paws that held him in place gently lifted him out of the water and laid him down on the bank that he realized the current hadn't been moving him.

His body convulsed and he coughed up water, horrified but not too surprised to see some blood and bile come out as well. That same blood was all over the leafy riverbank, a trail of it flowed down the current now, being slowly diluted by the water until it was gone.

That same blood also covered the paws he found himself staring at. Although, Grasspaw realized with a shudder that led to coughing up more blood and bile, maybe some of that blood was her own. When Grasspaw slowly raised his head, his own body fluids dripping down his muzzle, and formed his messy jaws into a small smile, he expected Waterpaw to wrinkle her nose at him in disgust. He was certain he looked awful. Waterpaw may not have been looking her best either, but there was no amount of injuries that could stop her from being attractive.

What he wasn't expecting was to see Waterpaw's ears pressed back and her voice to quiver as she mewed in a hoarse whisper, "Grasspaw… I'm so glad you finally woke up."

Grasspaw tucked his splayed-out paws neatly underneath him, although he prickled at the sticky wetness of the blood coating his underbelly. "Same here," he mewed weakly. "It's better than the alternative, at least."

He'd heard a lot of great things about StarClan- usually when some cat had just died- but he'd found that no cat seemed to say those things when there had been no recent deaths. Besides, no matter how great of a place it was, Grasspaw was nowhere near ready to go there yet.

"When the owl was carrying us, I called your name," Waterpaw murmured, her voice trembling. She stared at her blood-speckled paws. "You didn't respond. Even when I reached out and prodded you…" She broke off, her voice growing into a shrill wail. "You were lying so still… I thought… I thought…"

Despite how shaken he was about his injuries, Grasspaw felt the overwhelming need to convince Waterpaw that he was all right. He reached out his front paw- trying not to wince at the sharp pain that came with every movement- and laid it on top of hers.

"Hey," he meowed calmly, even though he felt nothing close to calm. "It's okay. I'm okay. We're both alive, and it's all…" Grasspaw dragged himself forward a couple mouse-lengths to press his muzzle to Waterpaw's paw. "…Thanks to you."

"Thank you, Grasspaw," Waterpaw mewed. Then she blinked, as if just realizing something. "That's right… it is thanks to me, isn't it?"

"Don't brag about it too much," Grasspaw said, rolling his eyes. "I don't need to hear about how special you are again."

"Oh, I won't tell you about that," she assured him. "I know you've heard it all already. But just let me have this one, okay?" Her face, which had been so sad a moment ago, split into a triumphant grin. "I saved us both! Without me, we'd be dead! Can you believe it?!"

Grasspaw nodded, albeit somewhat absentmindedly. He was happy for Waterpaw's success- especially since he owed his life to it- but something was dawning on him that took precedent over her celebration. When he opened his mouth to taste the air, the only scents Grasspaw was met with were foreign.

"It's no wonder StarClan chose me to save… whatever it is I'm gonna save," Waterpaw giggled. "I'm awesome! Hey, what if that was what the prophecy was about? Did you see if the owl went down and fell into some waves? Oh wait, but it's not raining… ah, well, it's better that it's not what the prophecy's about. I'd rather do something way cooler than that!"

"Say, Waterpaw," Grasspaw interrupted. She stopped praising herself and grew serious again; Grasspaw had the uneasy feeling that things would remain serious from here on. "What forest is this? It's not ThunderClan territory; I don't smell them. I definitely don't smell any RiverClan or WindClan cats. How far from the lake are we?"

Waterpaw was silent and Grasspaw had his answer: far enough.

Not only must Grasspaw have passed out again after being dropped, but Waterpaw must have passed out too, because it was midmorning. Maybe dawn had been approaching when they'd been dropped, but Grasspaw had been unconscious at the time, and Waterpaw admitted she couldn't remember but guessed it must have still been just a little after moonhigh because when she'd woken up, it had still been dark out. She explained how she'd landed quite a distance from Grasspaw, but had found the river she'd washed him off in and washed herself off. Then she'd come across him after a bit of searching.

"How long do you suppose you searched for?" Grasspaw inquired. "I'd hate you think you wasted too much time on a cat like me."

"Oh, not too long," Waterpaw mumbled, although she didn't make eye contact with Grasspaw, which made him suspect it had been longer than she wanted to admit. "You were lying fairly close to the river, but on the opposite side that I landed on. I dragged you back over there as soon as I found you, and washed you off. Thankfully, most of your bleeding had stopped by then."

Grasspaw nodded bleakly, sparing a glance down at his tattered stomach. It was missing a lot of fur, and his wound had only barely congealed. It was also, despite all that had happened, grumbling very loudly.

He glanced up sheepishly to see Waterpaw staring at him. "Are you hungry?" she asked, then purred. "Fish-brained question, I guess."

"I guess," Grasspaw agreed. His eyes wandered over to the river. "Speaking of fish, what do they taste like?"

Waterpaw's tail twitched mischievously. "You want to try a _fish_?" she purred. "Hey, maybe when we get home you should try joining RiverClan."

Grasspaw had absolutely no intentions of ever joining those fish-eaters, but he went along with it anyway. "Maybe I'll just have to do that," he said, hoping Waterpaw could tell he was saying it jokingly. "I do like to hang out by the lake, after all. You could teach me to swim."

"We wouldn't have to work hard or plan in advance to meet up with each other," Waterpaw added. "We could see each other any time we wanted."

"You could introduce me to all your friends," Grasspaw purred. "If they're anything like you, I bet they're wonderful."

One more joke hung in the air between them, not said by either but pressing at both of their minds: they wouldn't have to worry about breaking the warrior code. Soon enough, both Grasspaw and Waterpaw had run out of other things to say in terms of advantages to living in RiverClan. An awkward silence settled over them until Grasspaw's stomach growled again, at which point they both decided it was time to eat.

"I'll catch a fish," Waterpaw mewed. "You can go hunt for forest prey. Just don't go too far."

"I won't," Grasspaw promised. He set off into the forest, looking for something that would sustain him for a while. Although he thought he might have heard something as he was heading into the forest, he assumed he imagined it, not realizing that Waterpaw had collapsed behind him, clutching her own wound, as soon as he had left the clearing.

By the time Grasspaw came limping back with a vole dangling from his jaws, the sun was high in the sky. Waterpaw had already dressed the wound on her side with a very basic poultice that Mallowpaw had taught her how to make. She had also caught and eaten three whole fish- she must have been hungrier than she'd realized- and was dozing in a patch of sunlight when the greenish-gray tom wandered back to the riverbank.

The acrid scent of blood that clearly didn't all belong to the vole filled Waterpaw's nose and she sighed, sitting up to look at Grasspaw as he staggered over to her. She cringed at the sight of his reopened wound.

"Stop right where you are," she commanded, padding over to intercept him. "Come on, lean on me. I'll try to stop the bleeding again."

Grasspaw complied, and Waterpaw left him alone eating his vole in the sun while she foraged the forest for leaves big enough to cover up Grasspaw's stomach wound. She grabbed a couple more just in case, as well as a few strands of long grass to secure the leaves in place. She came across a mouse on her way back, and stalked it for Grasspaw to eat, but she wasn't very good at hunting land prey and it got away. When she got back, Grasspaw was right where she'd left him- fortunately- and she looped the long grass around his back and tied a knot at the top so the leaf wouldn't just fall right off when he stood up.

"What should we do now?" Grasspaw sighed as they sat together in the shade of a tree. Now that the sun was climbing higher in the sky, it was getting quite hot. "We have to get home."

"I think the hawk was flying… that way." Waterpaw pointed with her tail. She chewed her lip, hoping she was right. "I can't remember for certain, though."

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Grasspaw rose to his paws, wincing as he did so but taking a few determined steps in the opposite direction that Waterpaw had pointed. Waterpaw sat back and watched, slightly bemused, as he took a couple more steps forward and then stumbled and fell. Then the leaf that covered his wound became stained red and Waterpaw's bemusement faded.

Grasspaw pushed himself to his paws again, but this time Waterpaw wasn't having it. "Not so fast, mister eager," she chided him. "You've got to stay put for a while so the bleeding doesn't start again. Now, let me change your leaf and we'll work out a plan for when we're both all better."

Not without complaints, Grasspaw complied once again. He lay with Waterpaw for some time, and they talked about nothing in particular, trying to make their situation seem less hopeless.


	12. Chapter 12

The sun beat down from high in the sky, making the river shrink down and exposing the shale beneath it. The heat made Grasspaw restless, and he paced back and forth along an open patch of grass a couple fox-lengths away from the river, his tail twitching with pent-up aggravation. When he closed his eyes and tried not to breath in the unfamiliar scents, he could almost imagine for a moment that he was back home on WindClan territory. For a second or two, that thought helped him relax, and his prickling fur lay flat.

The illusion was broken, however, by Waterpaw's exclamations of "I almost couldn't touch the bottom just now! StarClan, was that ever scary!"

Grasspaw turned his head to shoot her a reproachful look. But Waterpaw wasn't even paying attention to him- in fact, Grasspaw wouldn't have been surprised at all if her little comment had been directed at herself as much as it had been at him. _At least she's happy_ , he thought with a sigh. The river here- wherever "here" was- was substantially bigger than the one on RiverClan territory, and Waterpaw had been enjoying herself in it all morning.

"Hey, Grasspaw, look at me," the blue-gray apprentice chirped, standing shakily on two legs to wave her front paws in the air. For a second, Grasspaw almost wished the current would pull her away. "I'm gonna catch a fish now!"

Grasspaw responded with a grunt that he tried to make sound as uninterested as possible, but Waterpaw obviously didn't get the hint. She stood still in the river for a while, and despite not caring whatsoever about any of this, Grasspaw did as she told him and watched her for about the first thirty seconds or so. Then he got bored and dropped his gaze away from her, resuming his pacing. A few moments later, he heard Waterpaw cry out triumphantly, and the next thing he knew he was being splattered with water droplets.

"Hey!" Grasspaw objected, jumping away from Waterpaw with his back arched. "Don't shake your pelt out over here!"

Waterpaw dipped her head, keeping her eyes staring up at him guiltily as she did so. "Thowwy," she mumbled around the fish she'd caught. Despite his annoyance, Grasspaw was impressed by the size of it- there was enough meat on that fish for both of them.

Grasspaw angled his ears toward the fish. "That looks good," he meowed, even though he'd never eaten a fish before and had heard from his Clanmates that they were disgusting. "I haven't been able to catch anything today; would you be willing to share that with me?"

"Hmm?" Waterpaw dropped the fish between them, her dark blue eyes shining. "You really want to share this with me?"

"Of course I do," Grasspaw muttered. "Why would I lie about something like that?"

He sat down in the shade of an oak tree and waited for Waterpaw to take a bite before he did. When she had swallowed her piece- a good-sized chunk ripped right off the belly- he daintily closed his teeth around the edge of a fin and dragged it over to him. Then he ripped a tiny stripe of the fin off and held it on his tongue for a minute before swallowing it. It tasted interesting, so Grasspaw tore off a bigger piece, and soon found that he liked fish better than he thought he would. By the time he and Waterpaw were both done, the bones were the only part of the fish that remained.

"Let's toss these in the river," Waterpaw suggested, gesturing to the fish bones. "We don't want to leave them lying around to attract predators."

"Good idea," Grasspaw agreed. He pushed the bones into the river and watched the current sweep them away. As he watched, Waterpaw sat down beside him, leaning on him a bit more than he would have expected. With a tinge of worry, Grasspaw noted that her pelt felt warmer than usual. "Um, hey," he muttered. "Are you feeling okay? You're kind of… warm."

"No, I'm not," Waterpaw said at once. "I'm just fine. Here; I'll prove it." She stood up and walked around in a circle, showing Grasspaw that the wound on her side was healing nicely. Since they had woken up by the river the previous day, neither of their wounds had reopened again, but they hadn't moved at all form where they'd been then.

Now that Grasspaw thought about it, he was feeling a bit warm himself. "It's probably just the heat," he mewed. "You're right; you look okay to me." he hesitated for a moment, swirling his tongue around the inside of his mouth to lick up the last morsels of fish flavour. "So," he mewed finally, "should we go now?"

For a moment, Waterpaw appeared not to understand. Then a slow clarity arrived on her face. "Maybe we should," she murmured. "Everybody back home must be so worried about us!"

"They probably think we're dead," Grasspaw mumbled. He hadn't thought about his family or friends at all the previous day, but now that he did think of them guilt swarmed his pelt. "Owlwing and Rabbitleap and Seedpelt… even Applepaw and Berrypaw, as annoying as they can be… I don't want them to think I'm dead! They don't need to go through that- especially when it's not even true."

"What if they're sitting vigil for us right now?" Waterpaw wailed. "Shellpaw and Oakpaw and Mallowpaw and everybody must all be so sad… and Smokefur and Patchfur too… not to mention Minnowleap!" She titled her head back and let out an even louder wail; this time there seemed to be a strange hint of fear mixed in. "Minnowleap must be absolutely devastated; she just _has_ to be!"

Seeing Waterpaw so distraught was upsetting to Grasspaw in a way that he didn't quite understand, but in that moment he knew he had to cheer her up. "It doesn't matter," he announced, doing his best to stand up straighter and deepening his voice just a little bit. "That's just more motivation to get home more quickly! The owl couldn't have taken us that far away, so if we can just figure out which way to go, we'll be home before you know it!"

Waterpaw nodded, all emotional outbursts completely forgotten. Her face now was that of a confident cat. She pointed her muzzle in the direction the river was flowing. "I think if we follow that river we'll get back faster," she mewed. "Like you said, it can't be too far. Let's go."

Several hours later, home or anything remotely resembling it was nowhere in sight. Waterpaw tried her best not to feel discouraged, but Grasspaw wasn't even trying to stay positive, and every time he made a pessimistic comment Waterpaw's own spirits dropped a bit.

The river meandered through the woods, which all looked the same- mostly deciduous trees with a few coniferous trees mixed in; the occasional clump of ferns or bramble patch; a few prickly plants that Waterpaw swerved around whenever she saw them. In a few spots she noticed plants that would soon have berries growing on them, but it was too early in newleaf for there to be any berries yet. Prey scents drifted through the air, but there was no time to stop and hunt. They'd be home soon; they could eat then.

Next to her, Grasspaw trotted along, keeping his eyes trained ahead. Waterpaw thought he looked a bit tired, but she didn't want to say anything about it in case it offended him- which, knowing him, it probably would. Waterpaw was tired too, but she wouldn't complain either. Home had to be close. They'd already been following the river for quite a while. How big could this forest possibly be?

"It's a pity the owl was flying so high up."

Waterpaw was startled by Grasspaw speaking up out of the blue after walking in silence for so long. "…Why's that?" she inquired, almost afraid of the answer. He looked so serious! _Then again_ , she thought, _Grasspaw always looks serious_.

"I- well, we- can't pick up its scent because it was so high in the sky," Grasspaw explained. "Since we can't follow the owl's scent, we have no way of knowing that we're even going the right way."

Waterpaw hadn't thought about it that way, but now that she did, she didn't enjoy thinking about it very much. "It doesn't matter," she meowed confidently. "We're going the right way."

"How can you be sure?" Grasspaw challenged, pressing his ears back. Waterpaw didn't like the edge that was in his voice; she hoped he wasn't trying to start a fight with her. "How can you really be sure that we're going in the right direction right now?"

"We have to," she reasoned. "If we were going the wrong way, StarClan would have sent us a message telling us that, or something."

Grasspaw snorted contemptuously, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Waterpaw demanded, offended by Grasspaw's dismissive reaction. "You know it's true! StarClan needs me, okay? They wouldn't let me stay lost."

"They don't need me, though," Grasspaw pointed out. "What if we get into danger or something, and they help you survive but let me die?"

"That won't happen," Waterpaw said adamantly. She knew that StarClan cared about every cat; they just cared about her more. "And if it does, I'll protect you."

Grasspaw didn't reply. Waterpaw kept expecting him to try to get one last comment in, but he never did. The argument was over.

A few minutes later, it started to rain. At first it was only a drizzle, so Waterpaw didn't mind, although Grasspaw clearly did mind quite a bit. Then it started to come down harder. Waterpaw picked up her pace significantly, hoping to outrun the worst of it.

"You know," Grasspaw called from behind her as she hurried past him, "I heard that if you run in the rain, you actually get wetter than if you walk."

"But if I'm running, I'll get out of the rain sooner," Waterpaw objected. "So it's better to go as fast as you can."

Grasspaw muttered something in reply, but he, too, picked up his speed, catching up with Waterpaw in a matter of seconds and running alongside her for a while. Eventually he began to edge ahead of her, and although Waterpaw wasn't too surprised- he was a WindClan cat, after all- she did do her best to keep up for as long as possible. The rain made the grass slick and slippery, so Waterpaw unsheathed her claws as she ran so she could grip the earth better. It slowed her down somewhat, but it was safer, and that was more important.

Somewhere far away, lightning shot down from the sky. The sight made Waterpaw's fur stand on end. Thunder boomed a moment later. Ahead of her, Grasspaw had stopped to catch his breath, and Waterpaw caught up to him, where she, too, stopped to collect herself for a few seconds before they both took off running again.

The river was getting scary in the storm; the current was strong as it raged over the rocks, turning the water frothy white. The ground began to slope gently down beneath Waterpaw's paws, and for a moment she found herself slipping and sliding on the wet grass, out of control as she skidded down the hill. She squeezed her eyes shut, terrified, as she tipped over and rolled the rest of the way down. Her ears were filled with the sounds of her own heartbeat and her own wild screeches, drowning out all other noises. Once she reached the bottom, she jumped back to her paws and continued running, keeping a close eye on Grasspaw as he grew dangerously close to the river. For one horrifying moment it looked like he was going to fall in, but he veered away just in time.

Suddenly Grasspaw halted, and Waterpaw didn't know why at first until she tasted the air and was met with the acrid stench of the Thunderpath. There were no twoleg monsters there at the moment, but the smell of them still clogged the air, making Waterpaw gag as she slowed to a stop next to Grasspaw.

She stared at the strip of shiny black ground, unsure whether to put her paws on the stuff. It stank, but it would probably be best to cross it now, before any monsters came along…

Grasspaw must have seen her staring, because he nudged her gently in the side and angled his ears to the slick black surface. "It's a Thunderpath," he explained.

"I can see that," Waterpaw meowed indignantly. How fish-brained did Grasspaw think she was?! "I'm not a kit, you know. In fact, I'm over a moon older than you."

"Sounds like something a kit would say," Grasspaw muttered, but there was an almost playful edge to his voice. Waterpaw realized he was just trying to get a reaction out of her, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction, so she kept her jaws shut. When Waterpaw didn't make a retort, Grasspaw sighed. "You're getting smarter," he told her. "I said that to Applepaw the other day, and she got so riled up. You should've seen her- I thought she was going to rip my pelt off!"

"Really? My friends would never get that mad at me," Waterpaw purred. "It must be awful having littermates like that!"

"Oh, believe me, it is," Grasspaw agreed. "You're lucky you were the only kit in your litter."

"Well…" Waterpaw stared down at her paws, contemplating whether or not to tell Grasspaw about her dead littermates. He didn't really need to know about that, did he? Then again, even if he didn't _need_ to know, maybe he deserved to. "I wasn't always an only kit. I had two littermates once."

Grasspaw's gaze darkened. "Oh… I'm sorry, Waterpaw. I didn't know, honest." He bowed his head apologetically before mumbling, "What were they like?"

Waterpaw was caught off guard by the question. Grasspaw was the first cat she'd ever told about her littermates, because he was the only cat from outside RiverClan who she could really call her friend. She'd always assumed that Shellpaw, Oakpaw, and Mallowpaw remembered them as well- or at least they remembered Splashkit, because he'd been alive when they'd been born. It had always seemed to Waterpaw that every cat either automatically knew about her family's history or didn't need to know, but Grasspaw didn't fall into either of these categories. He was a cat who hadn't known, but was now finding out. Such a small thing might not have meant much to most cats, but to Waterpaw, it was confusing. If there was an exception to this rule, what if there were exceptions to all rules- like that every cat with a prophecy about them was special, or that your kin had to love you?

It would be hard to explain all of those things to Grasspaw, though, and he was still looking expectantly at Waterpaw, so she decided to tell him the whole story.

"I was the biggest kit in my litter," she began. "My sister Echokit was the smallest, and she was named that because she looked just like my father, Ripplefoot. Maybe that's why he seemed to like her best, and maybe it's why he took it so hard when she died. Mossnose said that she was weak from the start, and it would have been a miracle if she'd survived much longer than she did, but Minnowleap took it as a sign that I was the only kit of hers who was important in StarClan's eyes."

"Something she still believes today, no doubt," Grasspaw interjected. Waterpaw was slightly miffed by his comment, but she brushed it off and continued her story.

"Splashkit looked a lot like me in terms of colouration, although his fur had must less of a blue tint, but his build couldn't have been more different. He was very chubby, and after Echokit died, Minnowleap began encouraging him to eat less so he'd be slimmer. She didn't want to lose all her kits, and she thought that if he could get in better shape, it would mean he'd be in better health too. One day, I snuck out of camp with him, and we went swimming. We got caught and sent back to camp, but not before Splashkit got a nasty chill. He ended up dying as well, and Minnowleap was devastated, but not half as devastated as Ripplefoot. He fell into a deep depression and was found dead a few days later. It was unclear how he died, and some cats speculated that…"

Waterpaw trailed off, suddenly afraid that she'd shared too much. She didn't dare to look at Grasspaw for fear that he'd be looking back at her with pity. She didn't want or need any pity. Even if she'd lost some of her kin, she could hardly remember them now anyways. And besides, she didn't need littermates; she had all the friends she needed. Her life was perfect just the way it was.

Waterpaw had fallen silent. Grasspaw wasn't sure if she was going to say anything else, but he decided she'd probably told him more than enough already. She didn't need to say any more.

He gently rested his tail on her back. "It's fine," he murmured. "You've told me everything I wanted to know."

The rain was still beating down around them; lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, illuminating Waterpaw's hunched figure. Grasspaw couldn't tell if she was trembling, or if it was just the rain hitting her pelt that created the illusion of movement around her.

"We should cross the Thunderpath now," Grasspaw suggested. "We're never going to get home if we just sit in one place for hours on end."

Waterpaw nodded and rose shakily to her paws. Grasspaw couldn't help but think how brave she was to share such a private story- and how lucky he was not to have gone through anything like that himself. However often he wished that Applepaw and Berrypaw would disappear, he never really meant it, and he couldn't even begin to imagine life without them.

The Thunderpath was wide, with white lines accompanying the usual yellow line down the middle dividing it into four sections. Grasspaw checked in both directions for monsters before hurrying across the slick black surface. It felt kind of like walking on rocks. Waterpaw trailed along behind him, her head still hanging low, until thunder sounded in the distance and she straightened up, her ears pricked.

"There's a monster coming," she hissed.

"No, there's not," Grasspaw meowed dismissively. "That was just thunder. It's raining, if you haven't noticed."

It was only after he'd made his rude remark that he realized he was wrong. The low rumbling sound was lasting a lot longer than thunder usually did, and it was getting louder every second. A few seconds later, a monster rounded a bend in the Thunderpath and came into view, washing Grasspaw and Waterpaw in bright yellow light.

"Run," Waterpaw hissed, shoving Grasspaw forward when he froze in fear.

The two apprentices scrambled to get to the other side as the monster bore down on them. Waterpaw made it first, and Grasspaw was almost there when his paw fell into a hole in the Thunderpath and he tripped. He flipped over onto his back and lay winded on the hard black surface for a moment before the roaring of the monster filled his ears and he had to scramble to his paws before it could crush him with its giant black paws.

Grasspaw made it out of the way of the monster just before it roared by. He stopped to catch his breath, not noticing the loud honking noise that was coming up behind him. When he raised his head, he saw something approaching that he'd never seen before. It was like a monster, but it was shaped differently and it was a lot smaller. Rather than being trapped inside, a twoleg was sitting on top of it- maybe this breed of monster had been tamed by the twolegs? Grasspaw stood still for a moment, confused by the contraption, until it made another honking noise and he jumped out of the way.

The small monster zipped by shortly after Grasspaw joined Waterpaw on the other side of the Thunderpath.

"Great StarClan, that was scary," he muttered. "I've never seen anything like that thing before."

"Me neither, but I've seen something like it at the greenleaf twolegplace," Waterpaw meowed. "The ones I saw were skinnier, and the paws were less like monster paws. They're not as fast as monsters, but we still have to watch out for them- especially since they're not confined to the Thunderpath."

"They can leave the Thunderpath?!" Grasspaw exclaimed. "You mean one of those things could come after us at any time?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Waterpaw mewed. "Right now we should just be thinking about getting home."

Grasspaw muttered an agreement, but secretly he thought that he'd been given too many other things to think about today.


	13. Chapter 13

The decomposing leaf litter left over from leaf-fall made the forest floor soft below Waterpaw's pads, but the soft ground provided little comfort as the sky grew darker and darker. She and Grasspaw had been walking for almost an entire day now, and neither of them had any idea where they were, or if they were any closer to the lake. At least it had stopped raining a few minutes ago, even if the sun hadn't really come out afterwards. It had continued to hides behind the cloud cover, which didn't look like it was going to be lifting anytime soon. But that didn't matter anyway, because Waterpaw knew that behind those clouds, the sun was slipping lower and lower in the sky. Before long, it would be nighttime.

"How much longer do you think we should walk?" Waterpaw inquired as a chilly breeze ruffled her fur. She didn't want to admit it, especially not to Grasspaw, but she was beginning to feel a bit scared. "It's letting late, and I don't want to be walking all through the night."

"Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" Grasspaw replied. His smug tone was an annoyance to Waterpaw, but one she could stand if it meant getting a good answer. "It's not even night yet, and if you want us to ever get home, you should be prepared to spend as much time on your paws as necessary."

"Yeah, but…" Waterpaw studied her paws, now wanting to come off as too squeamish. "I don't like the dark very much. What if another owl comes after us?"

"If a predator of any sort attacks us right now, we won't stand a chance," Grasspaw said matter-of-factly. "But we'll be more vulnerable to attacks if we're sleeping than if we're awake and on the move. Besides," he added, his voice dropping a few decibels, "I don't want this trip home to take longer than it has to, and the more often we stop, the longer it'll take."

Waterpaw studied the look on Grasspaw's face. He wore an expression she recognized as one she'd tried to banish from herself many times, but one that always kept crawling back in: uncertainty. When Grasspaw noticed Waterpaw examining him, he pointed his muzzle away from her so she couldn't look him in the eyes. Waterpaw dropped her gaze away from him; he clearly didn't want to be analyzed.

The two apprentices continued on their way. At one point, they came across another wide thunderpath. "This doesn't seem right," Waterpaw mumbled. "I'm sure the owl only carried us over one of these."

"Well, maybe we've been going the wrong way this whole time," Grasspaw suggested. "So, should we turn around?"

Waterpaw couldn't tell whether he meant it or not, but she seriously hoped he didn't. They couldn't turn around now! They'd already walked so far. Waterpaw's legs were aching, and she was sure Grasspaw's were too. Turning around would be making almost a whole day pointless.

Just as Waterpaw was about to voice these objections, a monster roared by, its glowing eyes making Waterpaw squint in contrast to the darkness of her surroundings. She stayed still as it zipped past, knowing that she was well off to the side of the thunderpath, but Grasspaw jumped back, muttering curses under his breath.

He waited until the monster was out of sight to express his thoughts in an audible manner. "Stupid monsters, always running around like that," Grasspaw spat, smoothing out his ruffled fur. "And at all hours of the day, too! What could it possibly be doing up so late?"

"Maybe it's trying to get home, too," Waterpaw offered, only half serious. She had always had a funny feeling about monsters- sometimes it felt like they weren't even alive at all, but were being controlled by some unseen force. "Or maybe some types of monsters are just nocturnal."

"Did you see all the stuff piled on top of it?" Grasspaw added. "There were those long, curved things that twolegs ride around in on the lake sometimes on top of it, and some of those skinny monsters you were talking about earlier on the back, and it was pulling a weird rectangle thing behind it- like a compacted twoleg den, but it was also a monster at the same time!"

"What could it possibly need with all those things?" Waterpaw wondered. "The only place I've ever seen any of those things before is-"

The answer hit Waterpaw in a sudden burst of glorious realization. The twoleg greenplace! Of course! And if they were going to the twoleg greenplace, then that meant they were going to the lake. And if they were going to the lake…

"Come on, Grasspaw!" Waterpaw cried joyously, a renewed energy flowing through her. "We're going to follow this thunderpath!"

Grasspaw hadn't known Waterpaw for long, but in the time he'd known her, she'd seemed to be a fairly normal cat aside from her destiny that she wouldn't shut up about- although now that he thought about it, she'd been fairly quiet about it that day. But walking alongside a thunderpath for an extended period of time was such an insane idea that Grasspaw was instantly convinced that Waterpaw must have had bees in her brain.

"Are you stupid or something?!" he demanded, waving his tail at the thunderpath. "We can't follow this! A monster will come along and run us over!"

"We won't have to walk on it, fish-brain," Waterpaw mewed, like she was so smart. "We just have to follow the path it takes. If we stay off to the side a little, it'll be perfectly safe."

It didn't sound safe at all to Grasspaw, but he supposed he wasn't the one with a prophecy about him, and for good reason. He wouldn't let his apprehension get in the way of finding his way home, he told himself. Waterpaw sounded pretty sure of herself- well, she always sounded sure of herself, but this time she sounded like she was sure of her decision. Besides, it wasn't like Grasspaw had any better ideas.

"Okay," Grasspaw agreed finally. "We'll follow it. But if you turn out to be wrong, I swear to StarClan I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah," Waterpaw purred, already beginning to take off ahead. "Just try to save your pessimism 'til then, okay? I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing."

Before long, they were following the thunderpath up a long, gentle slope. When they reached the top, Grasspaw stopped and looked around to see if he could see any familiar locations. He could see the forest they'd been walking through, complete with the river, which, as it turned out, veered off in an entirely different direction shortly after they'd broken away from it. It looked like it eventually flowed into a small lake, but it certainly wasn't the lake the Clans lived by. It was in a completely different shape, and it appeared to be in the middle of a twolegplace.

"I guess it's a good thing we didn't keep following the river," he muttered. "We'd have just gotten even more lost."

"Yeah, good thing," Waterpaw agreed. Then she perked up, pointing her tail toward a faint shimmer on the opposite side of the hill. "Hey, look, I think I see the lake!"

"Are you sure that's what it is?" Grasspaw asked critically. "It's too dark to really tell."

"Well, there's only one way to find out, right? We keep following the thunderpath!" Waterpaw proclaimed. Then her belly grumbled and she looked down at it awkwardly, adding, "…I guess we should stop and hunt first, though."

Grasspaw offered to do the hunting- anything to be by himself for a while- and Waterpaw agreed, saying she'd go looking for him if he took too long. Grasspaw doubted he'd take that long, although he considered taking longer than needed just to annoy her.

He headed down the hill and into the woods that they'd been walking through earlier, trying to get rid of the horrible smell of the thunderpath that clogged his nose and mouth. Right now, it was the only thing he could smell, so he couldn't pick up any prey scents- and he wouldn't be able to detect the scents of any dangerous predators if need be.

Grasspaw decided to look in the twisting roots of an oak tree. He crouched down and peered between the roots, opening his jaws. As soon as he did so, his wish was granted- the tangy aftertaste of the thunderpath was driven out of his mouth by the powerful stench of rotting flesh. Grasspaw backed away from the oak tree, gagging. Some animal must have died in there, and nothing had gotten around to eating it yet. At this rate, he could hardly imagine anything wanting to eat it, but he supposed the term crowfood existed for a reason. He was just glad he wasn't a crow.

"Why'd I decide to try hunting at night, anyway?" Grasspaw mutter aloud to himself as he stalked through the forest, unnerved by the silence and darkness and just wanting to hear a voice, even if it was only his own. "All the prey is probably asleep. Waterpaw's the better hunter. Why didn't I just ask her to do it?"

The longer he remained in the forest, the more worries crept into Grasspaw's mind. What if something attacked him? What if something attacked Waterpaw while he was gone? What if he couldn't find his way back to her? What if…?

The distant hoot of an owl sent a shiver down Grasspaw's spine and he tensed up, instantly ten times more watchful. He kept a close watch on the sky in case a winged creature should swoop down at any moment and snatch him up again. It was highly unlikely, but his first encounter had made him paranoid. It was funny; the thought of owls had never bothered him that much before. But now that one had almost killed him once, Grasspaw couldn't help but worry that there would be a second time.

Maybe he could try to find that river again. That fish he'd shared with Waterpaw hadn't tasted all that great, but at least it had been something. Then again, the river was too far away. Grasspaw just wanted to catch something and get this over with as quickly as possible. He was used to open spaces, and being surrounded by all these trees made him feel too closed in. Being along at night in a forest was probably the worst combination Grasspaw could possibly think of. Sure, he'd wanted to be alone for a while, but he hadn't taken the environment into account.

Finally, just when Grasspaw was considering giving up and turning around, the wind shifted and the scent of mice drifted through the air. Mice generally weren't Grasspaw's favourite food, but the smell still made his mouth water. He sniffed the air, following the scent to a little hole in the ground next to a clump of ferns. There, a mouse was nibbling on a seed. Grasspaw dropped into the hunter's crouch, sneaking up on the mouse, which was too busy with its seed to notice him until it was too late. He brought his paws down on the mouse and killed it with a quick bite to the neck.

Grasspaw scraped a bit of earth over the dead mouse so he could come back for it later. If he'd found one piece of prey, he could find another, and he didn't want to share any more fresh-kill with Waterpaw. It wasn't that he didn't want to share with her, but it just didn't feel right. Stuck together, separated from their Clans, or not: Waterpaw was not a Clanmate. Grasspaw couldn't treat her as such. Such behaviour would only tempt further infringement on the warrior code.

He'd almost forgotten about it after all that had happened, but Grasspaw had to remember the dream he'd had right before he and Waterpaw had been attacked by the owl- the cat made of grass and the cat made of water destroying one another when they touched. As soon as they got back to the lake, Grasspaw pledged to tell Waterpaw about that dream. He hadn't told her about it yet, because he knew it would just make things awkward between them, and they needed to stick together for now, but once they were back in their respective Clans, they had to stop spending time together for their own safety.

It didn't take Grasspaw long to track down another mouse. He killed it, retrieved the first mouse, and carried them both by their tails back to the top of the hill, next to the thunderpath, where Waterpaw was waiting for him.

Waterpaw sleepily licked the corners of her mouth, gathering up the last morsels of mouse from between her teeth. She gulped them down and let out a long, contented sigh.

"I'm guessing you enjoyed it," Grasspaw muttered, watching her with an unexpected amount of interest. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Huh? I didn't say-" Waterpaw broke off, realizing she'd neglected to thank him. "Oh, yeah, thanks for catching those mice, Grasspaw."

"No problem."

"So, what now?" Waterpaw asked, stifling a yawn as she settled down next to Grasspaw, who was lying on his stomach with his paws tucked neatly underneath him. "Do we keep going?"

"Judging by how tired you sound, I say we get some sleep," Grasspaw suggested. Waterpaw blinked at him gratefully; she'd been hoping he'd say that, but she hadn't wanted to bring it up herself in case it made her seem weak. "The side of the thunderpath probably isn't the best location to sleep," the greenish-gray tom went on. "We should find someplace more sheltered."

"Did you see any good spots while you were out hunting?"

Grasspaw shook his head, looking embarrassed. "I wasn't really looking around that much," he mumbled. "To be honest, the forest kind of creeps me out."

Waterpaw didn't understand how a bunch of trees could bother any cat so much; in fact, sometimes she wished that there were a few more trees on RiverClan territory to shelter her from the harsh sunlight that reflected off the river. But she supposed that it would be different for a WindClan cat. Grasspaw probably liked running through open fields with the wind blowing through his fur.

"Let's look for a good spot at the bottom of this hill," she offered. Being stuck up at the top of the hill while Grasspaw had been hunting had made her feel a bit uncomfortable; it had felt like she was trying to show off or something. "It's not like we can see that much from up here anyway."

Grasspaw nodded approvingly. "Good idea," he mewed. "There might be a tunnel under the thunderpath or something."

"A tunnel?!" Waterpaw screeched. "I don't wanna sleep in a gross tunnel! If we're sleeping anywhere, it's going to be in nature!"

"Fine, then," Grasspaw muttered. "Nature it is."

They trotted down the hill, which was much steeper than the uphill. Waterpaw almost tripped over her own paws, but she managed to catch herself before she could tumble down. That didn't stop Grasspaw from snickering at her a bit, though. She gave him a playful cuff around the ears, and he retaliated with a gentled shove. Purring with amusement, Waterpaw ran the rest of the way down the hill, and Grasspaw followed after her. At the bottom, she pounced on him in a surge of exhausted giddiness, and they rolled around together for a while in the grass, being sure to keep well away from the thunderpath.

Before too long, Waterpaw had Grasspaw pinned down. "I win," she mewed in a singsong.

"Not so fast," Grasspaw shot back, rolling away from underneath her and coming up on his paws a tail-length away. "Spikeear taught me that move. He says it can come in real handy when you're fighting a cat bigger than you."

"Well, Foxfang taught me _this_ move," Waterpaw exclaimed, rearing up on her hind legs and attempting to bat at Grasspaw, but she lost her balance and flopped over onto her belly. Waterpaw lay winded on the ground for a moment, glaring at Grasspaw, who was standing over her, snickering.

"I don't know Foxfang, but he sounds like a pretty stellar mentor if he's teaching you moves like that," Grasspaw teased. "The 'stand up and then fall down' attack- every cat who hopes to become a warrior should try this move on the battlefield at least once."

"I don't know Spikeear, but if he's teaching you that rolling is the best battle tactic out there, he must not be very good at fighting," Waterpaw shot back. She wriggled her haunches and then jumped onto Grasspaw's back, shouting, "Foxfang also taught me how to do this for when I'm fighting a big animal!"

Grasspaw squirmed around under her. "Hey, get off," he complained. "I'm not a large animal! In fact, you're bigger than me!"

Waterpaw let out a playful _mrrow_ , hopping down from Grasspaw and running in circles around him. "Come and catch me," she taunted him. "I bet you can't!"

"I bet I can," Grasspaw replied, giving chase. Waterpaw headed into the forest so she wouldn't be as exposed, but she didn't run as fast as she could have, letting Grasspaw catch up to her and tackle her to the ground. "Caught you," he purred, wrapping his front paws around her.

"You sure did," Waterpaw mewed, gazing up at Grasspaw's shining green eyes. She could see her own face reflected back in them, and she realized that she looked happier than she'd ever seen herself look when she saw her reflection in the water. "What are you going to do with me now?"

"Aren't you going to try to escape?" Grasspaw whispered, lowering his head so that his whiskers brushed against Waterpaw's.

"Mmm… I dunno," Waterpaw mumbled. She was all tired out from playing with Grasspaw, and she wasn't sure if she had the energy left for another game. "Can't we just stay here instead?"

Grasspaw hesitated for a moment before murmuring, "Okay." He rolled off of Waterpaw and curled up in a clump of ferns. Waterpaw followed him, her pawsteps heavy, and simply fell onto him as much as she consciously lay down.

"This is nice," Grasspaw whispered sleepily, rubbing the back of his head affectionately against the bottom of Waterpaw's muzzle.

"Yeah," Waterpaw agreed, wrapping her paws around Grasspaw as she curled around him, feeling the line of his spine pressed against her stomach. "It sure is."

They feel asleep more quickly than Waterpaw would have thought possible, pressed close to each other in their shelter from the cloudy night.


	14. Chapter 14

Drip… drip… drip… The sounds echoed around Grasspaw as he slept, rousing him slightly but not entirely waking him. He was warmer and cozier than he remembered being since he'd been a tiny kit in the nursery, snuggled up against Owlwing.

Then a water droplet smacked him right on the nose and he sneezed, disturbed from his slumber. He blinked open his eyes, trying hard to remember what had happened the previous night. Were they back at the lake yet?

A faint murmur from the cat beside him answered that question with a resounding no. Grasspaw's stomach sank all the way down to his paws when he remembered cuddling up with Waterpaw the previous night before going to sleep. The blue-gray she-cat was still pressed against him now, curling around him like a mother cat would curl around her kits- if her kits happened to be almost as big as her.

"Waterpaw," Grasspaw whispered, turning his head to see her sleeping face. She looked so lovely in repose, but Grasspaw couldn't help but think that he liked her better when she was awake- so lively and bright. "Are you awake yet?"

Waterpaw's only reply was a surprisingly loud snore. "I guess you're not," Grasspaw muttered, wriggling out from underneath her paws. He left her sleeping under the rain-soaked fern clump and surveyed their surroundings.

Other than a few scrubby patches of gorse, a few bushes, and the occasional clump of ferns, there wasn't really much of a forest here at all. The trees were all saplings, and they were few and far between. The forest on the other side of the thunderpath had been a lot thicker, but this tree line was only that- a tree line. When Grasspaw stuck his head out between two scraggly bramble bushes, he saw a wide open field with a large twoleg den and a fence off in the distance. When he squinted, he could just barely make out a few specks on the other side of the fence that must have been animals of some sort. Could it be the horseplace?

Grasspaw tasted the air for any familiar scents, but the wind wasn't blowing the right way for him to tell if there were any cats living nearby, let alone any he knew. Disappointed but not out of hope yet, Grasspaw headed back to where Waterpaw was sleeping. It took him a while to find the exact clump of ferns she'd been resting under, and when he got there, he was surprised to find that Waterpaw was now awake- and she wasn't alone.

Sitting next to Waterpaw, and appearing to be having a fairly one-sided conversation with her, was a small but stocky tom with a red collar that almost blended in with his fur.

The tom didn't seem to notice Grasspaw behind him until he cleared his throat and addressed him. "Um, hi," Grasspaw mewed cautiously, trying to sound brave despite inwardly panicking. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The dark red tom swung his head around, his dark amber eyes wide. His fur was too short to stand on end, but his spine was arched and his claws slid out until he saw that Grasspaw was no threat and relaxed. "My name is Brick," he meowed, dipping his head politely but keeping his eyes on Grasspaw as he did so. Grasspaw also noticed that Brick didn't retract his claws, but it was understandable- he was a stranger, after all. "I happen to live around here, and when I came across this lovely little she-cat here I was worried that she might be injured."

"Well, you don't have to worry about Waterpaw," Grasspaw mewed curtly, pushing past Brick. "Are you okay?" he whispered to Waterpaw; she nodded, but Grasspaw's pads still prickled with suspicion at the look on Brick's face. He knew it would be better to give this cat the benefit of the doubt, but there was something about him that Grasspaw didn't like.

"Oh, I know I don't have to worry about her now," Brick agreed, licking his paw and drawing it over his ear; Grasspaw noticed that both his ears had tiny nicks in the tips. "But tell me you wouldn't have rather I been there to let you know if there was something wrong with her than not be there and you find out the hard way! I mean, come on, now; it's not very gentlemanly of you to go leaving your little friend here by herself, now is it?"

Grasspaw was called out by Brick's accusation; he had a point. Even so… "I was only gone for a minute," he reasoned, trying to repress the defensive edge to his tone and keep his fur lying flat. "What's the worst that could have happened to her in that time?"

Brick stared at Grasspaw with an unsettling degree of calmness. "You're right, of course," he said with a thin purr. "What's the worst that could really happen to a tiny little cat like you out here? It's perfectly safe, I'm sure."

It was obvious that Brick was trying to get some kind of reaction out of him. But Grasspaw wasn't about to give him the satisfaction!

"Well, thank you for your concern," Waterpaw mewed, dipping her head respectively to Brick. "But I really do think we can handle ourselves. We are warrior apprentices, after all." Grasspaw nodded in agreement.

"If you're sure…" Brick muttered, suddenly downcast. He fixed his gaze on Grasspaw. "Just promise me you'll take good care of yourselves, will you? I'd hate to think Waterpaw would be in any danger out here with only _you_ to protect her."

Grasspaw tried his hardest not to take any offense to that statement, but he Waterpaw's pelt was already bristling. Grasspaw could understand her anger-she didn't need him to defend herself! In fact, she'd been the one trying to save _him_ from the owl when they'd been captured, and she'd been the one to get them down, too. It was blindingly obvious to Grasspaw that Brick was only trying to provoke them, and the mangy furball had finally succeeded.

"Get away from us right now," he hissed, sliding out his claws. "I don't want you hanging around like this."

"And what will you do if I refuse?" Brick challenged, baring his fangs- Grasspaw observed that he was missing a couple. "Do you honestly think you can fight me if need be?"

Grasspaw wasn't sure that he could, but he was sure that Waterpaw would be able to. As long as she was beside him, he felt that he could take on anything.

"I don't know if I can fight you, but I'll be willing to try if you force me to," Waterpaw said, voicing Grasspaw's feelings. "But just leave while you can and it won't come to that."

"Oh, I don't plan on leaving for a while yet," Brick purred, leaning in to take a sniff of Waterpaw's pelt. She screeched, raising her paw, and the next thing Grasspaw knew there was a thin red line across Brick's cheek.

"Mouse dung," Brick spat, taking a step back as Waterpaw glowered at him. "You're a real tough one, aren't you? Well, maybe this will make you more cooperative!"

He coiled his muscles and Grasspaw expected him to attack Waterpaw. She must have been expecting that as well, because she jumped away so Brick couldn't reach her. But Brick didn't lunge at her at all. Instead, he pounced on Grasspaw, cutting off his shriek and knocking the air out of him. Waterpaw let out an alarmed yowl, rushing in to help, but Brick turned around and reared up on his hind legs and Waterpaw shrunk back, unnerved. Once he'd caught his breath, Grasspaw rose to his paws and struck Brick from behind, pushing at his back. He toppled forward, and Waterpaw jumped up from below him at the same time, sinking her claws into his belly. Brick let out a screech of pain and fury, bringing his claws down onto Waterpaw as he fell. "No!" Grasspaw cried, darting between Brick's legs to push her aside. She blinked gratefully at him, and then they nodded to each other; they had no time to appreciate each other's company now.

They had a battle to fight.

Together, they charged at Brick, letting out twin battlecries. Brick tensed up, taking in the two apprentices about to attack him, until they were right on top of him. At that point, he suddenly lashed out, striking out at Waterpaw with a powerful front paw. She was sent flying backward, landing facefirst in the dirt about a fox-length away. Grasspaw cried her name, letting go of Brick and turning his back on him to run to her side.

"Grasspaw, don't," Waterpaw warned as she saw Brick's muscles coil; he was preparing to leap. "He's going to-"

In a fluid motion, Brick struck, launching himself into the air and casting a shadow over Grasspaw for an instant before coming down on him- and hard. Grasspaw's shriek was cut off as Brick landed, and the greenish-gray apprentice vanished under the reddish-brown tom's claws.

Icy claws of horror dug into Waterpaw. She let out an enraged yowl, charging forward to knock Brick off of Grasspaw. But he intercepted her, jumping away from Grasspaw to lash out with claws and fangs at Waterpaw. His teeth connected with her neck and she screeched, pummeling his belly with kicks and trying not to let him get on top of her. But he overpowered her quickly, driving her to the ground where she lay on her back as he stood over her.

Behind them, Grasspaw was trying to stand up, but it was clearly quite a struggle for him. Waterpaw didn't see why it would be so hard; his legs all looked fine. She decided that maybe it would be better if he just left the fighting to her. She was the one with a prophecy about her, after all; that must mean she could handle herself better in combat than an ordinary cat like him.

Brick leaned down over Waterpaw, and she could smell crowfood on his breath. He might have been wearing a collar, but he was clearly not a kittypet- maybe he'd been one once, but not anymore. "Why are you making this so difficult?" he snarled, pressing his paws down on Waterpaw's shoulders so she couldn't break away. "I never even tried to start a fight with you."

Waterpaw wondered if that was true. She had heard Grasspaw arguing with somebody, but she'd assumed it had just been in her dream until he'd woken her up properly. Had Brick actually just been trying to have a pleasant conversation? Waterpaw glanced at Grasspaw again, who was still struggling to stand. He kept taking half a step and then collapsing. No, she decided; Brick must have been trying to start a fight with them. A cat who was just trying to get along wouldn't hurt another cat like that.

"You deserve better than him, you know," Brick pressed on. "I know plenty of rogues and loners like me who'd die for a cat like you. They could treat you splendidly, you know. Is it really fair for you to cheat all those poor, lonely cats out of love just because you'd rather tramp around the forest with that _kit_?"

At that, Waterpaw had had enough. She struck upward with her hind legs, throwing Brick off of her. "Grasspaw's not a kit," she hissed. "And for your information, I'm only a moon older than him. So if he's that young in your eyes, I think you need to reevaluate what's suitable for me, too."

Brick's eyes narrowed into amber slits. A crazed growl emerging from deep in his throat, he reared up on his hind paws again and took a swipe at Waterpaw from above. She ducked, jumping back, and then stood up on her hind legs as well to match his blows. She was a bit smaller than Brick, and significantly lighter, so he managed to knock her backward. She rolled to her paws and swerved to avoid another swipe. Just then, Grasspaw, who had finally managed to stand, rejoined Waterpaw in the battle. He jumped up to bite Brick's shoulder and the stock reddish-brown tom yowled with outrage.

"Are you okay, Waterpaw?" Grasspaw asked, his voice muffled by a mouthful of Brick's short fur.

"I'm fine," Waterpaw meowed, grateful for her friend's help. Even if she probably could have handled it on her own, it was always nice to have a cat fighting beside you. "Now, let's finish this!"

But just as she was about to tackle Brick to the ground, he twisted around and hooked his claws into Grasspaw's scruff. Grasspaw flailed for a moment before Brick swung his leg and he was flung through the air, his green eyes wide in panic.

"No!" Waterpaw cried. Her heart caught in her throat as Grasspaw sailed backward through the air, wailing, before crashing into a patch of brambles. Brick laughed and Waterpaw whipped around to face him. "You mange-pelt!"

She lunged at Brick, knocking him onto the ground, where she raked her claws down his sides ruthlessly. How dare Brick harm Grasspaw like that- and then laugh about it?! Rage coursed through Waterpaw, blocking out all other thoughts, senses, and emotions until all she could see was red and all she could hear was the blood roaring in her ears.

Waterpaw wasn't even fully aware of what was happening. It was like she had blacked out. She could almost feel Brick's retaliations, but… not really. In a strange way, it was almost like she wasn't even attacking him at all. It was just… happening without her even really knowing it. She was finally jerked back into reality when she felt Brick shudder and convulse beneath her, and then grow still.

Waterpaw's breath caught in her throat as she backed away, realizing with a sinking horror that Brick was dead, his throat torn open. She looked at her paws; they were soaked in blood. Had she really killed him?! Waterpaw's mind reeled. How could have killed a full-grown cat?

Now that Brick was dead, all the attacks Waterpaw hadn't registered before caught up with her. Pain burst through her nerves, and she realized that she had deep scratches on her flanks, a bite on the side of her neck that must have narrowly missed her throat, and a multitude of small cuts on her belly that have come from being pummeled by Brick's hind legs. She winced; this really wasn't good. She didn't know the first thing about herbs, and she had no idea how far away the lake was. And what about Grasspaw?

Waterpaw staggered over to the bramble patch where Grasspaw had landed. Although thorns snagged at every whisker-length of the apprentice's greenish-gray pelt, none of them appeared to have dug in too deep, and only a few had drawn any blood. Waterpaw sagged with relief to see the barely visible rise and fall of Grasspaw's chest. Not caring if the brambles pricked her, she dragged him out of the bush and hoisted him onto her back. He flopped across her, heavier than she'd expected, and Waterpaw grimaced at the prospect of having to carry him all the way back to the lake. She just hoped it was as close as she thought it was.

A monster roared past on the thunderpath, pulling another rectangular monster-nest thing behind it. With a renewed sense of confidence, Waterpaw continued on the trail on the edge of the thunderpath, putting one paw in front of the other until she couldn't walk any more.

A dull murmur lapped at the edges of Grasspaw's consciousness, like gentle waves slowly melting away a sheet of ice as leaf-bare became newleaf. He stirred, starting to become aware of his surroundings, and blinked open his eyes.

The world came into view around him, blurry and out of focus. Grasspaw was lying on his side on something soft and comfortable- a nest, but it wasn't as nice as the one he was used to. When he took a deep breath in, he was assailed with the sharp tang of herbs.

Grasspaw sat up, coughing. At this, Podtail rushed over to him, dropping the herbs he'd been chewing up, and Grasspaw realized he must be in the medicine den. He was home!

"Oh, thank StarClan, you're finally awake," the light brown medicine cat breathed. He hooked his claws into a clump of wet moss that was lying next to Grasspaw as pressed it to his forehead. "How do you feel?"

Feel? Grasspaw tried to process the question, but it seemed so out of place. Shouldn't it be obvious how he felt? "I'm… alive," he offered, not quite sure what Podtail was looking for in his answer.

Podtail's whiskers twitched in amusement, but his eyes remained grim. "Yes, you certainly are," he mewed dryly. "And it's a good thing, too, because you were very close to being dead."

"I was?"

"You were extremely lucky, you know- and not just because you survived whatever fight you got into on your way home," Podtail added, his serious tone grounding Grasspaw in the reality he'd been trying not to think of while he and Waterpaw had been trying to get back home. "After you turned up missing, Sandstar sent out a patrol to look for you. They came back empty-pawed, but they reported a very strong owl scent. The next day, the dawn patrol found owl feathers and signs of a struggle on the edge of WindClan territory."

Grasspaw gulped. He'd known that his Clanmates would probably think he was dead, of course, but hearing Podtail talk about it was still uncomfortable. It made him feel guilty for making everyone go through that, even if it wasn't even his fault.

"What about RiverClan?" he mewed, both in an effort to change the topic and because he wanted to know if Waterpaw was all right without asking about her out front. "One of their apprentices went missing at the same time I did, right?"

Podtail's long, thin tail twitched as he spoke. "Well, I think you should know," he meowed coolly. "We did find you lying next to her, after all."

"And what about-" Grasspaw swallowed. He didn't want Podtail to think he cared too much about a cat from another Clan, but he needed to know that Waterpaw was alive as well. "What happened to her? Is Waterpaw back in her Clan too?"

Claws of fear gripped at Grasspaw when Podtail hesitated. What was there he didn't want to tell him?! Then, to his relief, the medicine cat meowed simply, "Waterpaw is recovering."

Just then, Berrypaw poked her head into the den. "Who're you talking to?" she mewed. "Is it-?" She broke off, he face lighting up when she saw Grasspaw. "It is!" she purred, running over and burying her muzzle in Grasspaw's fur for a moment before pulling back. "Oh, I'm so glad you're finally awake! Applepaw and Owlwing and Rabbitleap and I were all really worried about you!"

"Well, you don't need to worry about me anymore," Grasspaw told her, overcome with emotion at the sight of his sister's sheer joy at seeing him. He gave her head a couple of gentle licks. "I'm going to be just fine, aren't I, Podtail?" He tried not to let any note of worry creep into his voice as he glanced up at the medicine cat.

"You've certainly had long enough to rest up," he meowed. "You had me worried for a bit there, but with any luck, you'll be back to your apprentice duties by the end of the week."

"You were sleeping for three whole days," Berrypaw informed him, her blue eyes wide. Grasspaw noticed that they were starting to become less blue and more green as she got older. "Podtail said an owl tried to eat you and some RiverClan cat, but you got away somehow! How'd you do it?!"

"Well, it was mostly Waterpaw," Grasspaw admitted, giving his chest fur a couple of embarrassed licks. "She's the one who saved us. You met Waterpaw at the Gathering, right? Blue-gray she-cat, fluffy tail, kind of full of herself? You have her to thank for us being able to have this conversation right now."

"Yes, that Waterpaw certainly is an outstanding young cat," Podtail muttered. "And you really should thank her, Berrypaw; I think your brother owes a lot to her- perhaps more than he should."

Grasspaw opened his mouth to ask him what that was supposed to mean, but Podtail simply turned and padded over to sort through his herb stores, even though they already looked perfectly tidy.

 _What does he care about who I spend my time with?_ Grasspaw thought indignantly as Berrypaw scampered around him, telling him about how scared she'd been while he was gone. _I can owe Waterpaw as much as I want. I just hope I can pay her back one day…_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while since the last upload but uhhhhh I gave in to my incontrollable urge to start working on another fic while this one is still in progress and began writing a Quodo one-shot. Anyway not much happens in this chapter but I'll probably get another one done in a couple days so uhhh there you go I guess.**

"Keep your body pressed low to the ground and your paw steps light," Foxfang instructed. "You don't want to let the prey see or feel you coming."

Waterpaw nodded, bending her back so that her chest fur brushed the rocks, which were still slimy and wet even now that the river had receded further down and no longer covered them. "Like this?" she mewed.

Foxfang shook his head, padding over to her and placing his paw on her lower back. "You need to keep your back straight," he explained. "And don't stick your tail up or the prey will see it. Honestly," he added gruffly, "I would have thought that such a 'special' cat would do a better job."

"Sorry," Waterpaw muttered. She tried to follow her mentor's instructions, straightening out her back and bending her legs so that her entire body was low to the ground. She let her tail droop, but Foxfang gave her another disapproving look. "What did I do now?!" she complained.

"Don't drag your tail behind you," Foxfang told her. "Keep it in the air; just don't let it stick up too high."

Waterpaw grumbled under her breath, but she did as she was told. Once Foxfang was satisfied with the position of her tail, she crept forward, one pawstep at a time. She tried to make her steps as light as possible, but it was hard to maintain the proper position when she moved, and she ended up shuffling awkwardly forward, her motions stiff and jerky.

Foxfang sighed, opening his mouth to criticize.

"You don't have to say anything," Waterpaw sighed. "I know I'm doing a terrible job. I just don't get why I have to learn about hunting land prey. I'm awesome at fishing, so why can't I just do that all the time?"

"It's true that our ancestors rarely ate any land prey," Foxfang agreed. "However, there may be times when there is a drought, or the water may become contaminated. If these things should ever happen, RiverClan warriors should be able to hunt land prey when needed."

It made sense, but that didn't mean Waterpaw was ever going to master the technique. She wouldn't admit that fear to her mentor, though- as far as he and her other Clanmates were concerned, she was just as confident as ever. But in reality, Waterpaw had been becoming less and less confident in herself with every passing day.

It wasn't that she was unskilled- she was still great at fishing and swimming- but she wasn't the _best_ anymore. A few days ago she'd been on a patrol with Shellpaw, who'd caught two more fish than her. And the previous week, she'd been paired up with Oakpaw in battle training, and he'd managed to beat her using a move he'd improvised himself. Waterpaw had never been able to improvise a technique. She tried to work on being the best possible at everything she was taught, but just coming up with a new battle move all by herself was something she couldn't imagine herself doing.

The only cats she felt comfortable admitting her doubts to were Smokefur and Patchfur. But therein lay another problem- the brothers had been growing more distant with each passing day. As jealous of their emerging talents as she was, at least Shellpaw, Mallowpaw, and Oakpaw had been thrilled to see Waterpaw return safely after she'd gone missing. They hadn't been able to stop talking about how much they'd missed her, and how terrified they'd been that she might never come back. But Smokefur had simply given her a tiny nod of acknowledgement when she'd bounded over to him, eager to share her story, and Patchfur hadn't even been in the camp. Mallowpaw had told Waterpaw not to tell any cat, but that he was probably visiting that ShadowClan cat again- Birchpaw, who was apparently going to become a warrior soon. Waterpaw was happy for him, but she wished that he and his littermate would pay more attention to her.

One cat who had certainly been paying even more attention to her since she'd gotten back was Minnowleap. The first thing Waterpaw remembered after collapsing near the horseplace, an unconscious Grasspaw sprawled across her back, was being woken up by a flurry of anxious licks. She'd opened her eyes to find Minnowleap standing over her, her misty gray eyes wide in concern.

The first thing her mother had said was "Oh, Waterpaw, how could you have done that to me?!" followed by an unexpected bat to the muzzle. Waterpaw could have sworn she'd felt blood well up on her nose, but she must have imagined it- Minnowleap would never have attacked her. She had just given her a little bat with claws sheathed- a gesture of frustration, but frustration that was fueled by love and worry. She'd even apologized immediately after- "I'm sorry, my precious little raindrop," she'd purred, nuzzling Waterpaw briefly before pulling away and scolding her about her irresponsible actions.

"Raindrop" was an old nickname- something Minnowleap used to call Waterpaw when she was a kit. But she hadn't used the nickname in moons- not since Splashkit had died. Hearing her say it now had made Waterpaw brim with emotion, and regret at putting her mother through all of that. She'd vowed to never be that reckless again. If any cat from another Clan got attacked by an owl or any other dangerous creature again, Waterpaw would stay on her own territory and not put her pelt on the line to help them.

 _Even if it's Grasspaw_ , she told herself. _I need to put myself first. I'm more important than him._ But could she really believe that anymore? After all, he was the only cat outside of her own Clan who knew about her dead littermates. If she could trust him enough to tell him something like that…

Well, Waterpaw reflected, maybe she _shouldn't_ have told him that. The more she told him; the longer she spent with him; the more times she replayed the time she'd spent with him inside her head as she curled up to sleep; it all added up. Waterpaw couldn't afford to get any more attached to Grasspaw at the risk of being disloyal to RiverClan. She shouldn't have been as attached to him as she already was. She wanted to just forget about him and never look at him again, but she knew deep down that it could never be that simple.

It had been well over a moon now since Waterpaw and Grasspaw had been captured by and escaped from an owl. They hadn't seen each other at all in that time- not even at the last Gathering. Waterpaw had thought she'd caught a glimpse of him once, but when she'd looked for him again, he wasn't there. She wasn't sure whether she'd simply imagined his presence there, or if the WindClan apprentice was avoiding her. As selfish as it was, she hoped it wasn't the latter.

Nearly two moons after they'd last seen each other, Grasspaw still couldn't stop thinking about Waterpaw.

He'd done his best to keep the pretty young cat out of his mind, but there was something about her that was very persistent. Just as she'd refused to give up when Grasspaw had been sure they were doomed, the imprint she'd left on Grasspaw's mind refused to fade away. It was like Grasspaw was a deep, muddy trench, and Waterpaw had walked all over him. Her pawprints still remained weeks later, forming a trail that led to a place where Grasspaw knew he could not go.

On a cloudy day, when it had drizzled all morning and now remained wet and dreary even though it was no longer raining, Grasspaw found himself nodding off. Maybe he should have offered to go on the hunting patrol that had left a few minutes ago, but Grasspaw wasn't really in the mood to hunt. Instead, he crouched next to a patch of gorse at the edge of camp, hoping that his mentor, Spikeear, wouldn't spot him and tell him to go make himself useful.

Cloudy days had always made Grasspaw sleepy. He closed his eyes and remembered running through the rain with Waterpaw at his heels, tumbling down a hill, and play-fighting before curling up to sleep. Letting the peaceful thoughts fill his mind, Grasspaw drifted off for a while, but his dreams were filled with unsettling images.

 _The rain beat down around Grasspaw, each individual drop piercing his pelt like thorns falling from the sky. All around him was open air; he was high above the ground. When he looked below him, all he could see was an angry lake. Its high and violent waves were tipped with white._

 _Grasspaw shivered as he looked out at the stormy waters._ Rain and waves… this must be what the prophecy spoke of _, he thought. Suddenly, the elevated platform shook, and Grasspaw tumbled off, falling toward the lake. His wail was cut off as the water engulfed him, closing around his head before he had a chance to take a final breath._

 _As he sank, unable to move, a cat appeared above him, standing on the water as if it were a solid surface. "Help me," Grasspaw cried, hoping the strange cat would notice him. But the cat didn't notice him, or even if they did they didn't help. They simply flicked their ears and ran away, their dark gray pelt fading into the colours of the storm._

Grasspaw jerked awake, gasping. Even though he realized within seconds that it had only been a dream, he still felt like he had been holding his breath- as though the dream had been more real than he knew. This uneasy feeling was only made worse when Grasspaw realized that his pelt had gotten wet- it must have rained again while he was napping. He shook it out disdainfully. "Stupid rain," he muttered.

He heard a throaty purr, and looked up to see Rabbitleap standing next to him. "Maybe you could take shelter from the rain in the elders' den," the brown warrior suggested. "And check Gorsewind for ticks while you're at it."

Grasspaw wrinkled his nose at that idea, but he'd seen it coming. With a heavy sigh, he rose to his paws and trudged reluctantly over to the elders' den.

"Why, Grasspaw, I must say I didn't expect you to be so cooperative," Rabbitleap purred, but there was genuine puzzlement on his face. "Not even a single complaint? You do realize you'll have to get that mouse bile taste inside of your mouth, don't you?"

"Well, excuse me for following your orders," Grasspaw muttered, giving his father a glare that was only partially real. It was true- most days he would have put up a bigger fuss about having to do such an awful task. But he still had thoughts of storms and drowning circulating in his head, and compared to sinking into a turbulent lake, mouse bile didn't seem so bad anymore. "Maybe I've just changed, okay?" he added bitterly. "I'm not a kit anymore, you know."

He stalked away, not giving his father time to respond.

In the elders' den, Gorsewind greeted him with a wave of his tail. "Hello, Grasspaw," the old tom meowed. "What brings you here today? I suppose you didn't just feel like seeing me."

 _Good guess_ , Grasspaw thought. "I'm supposed to check you for ticks," he mewed, gritting his teeth and doing his best to sound cheerful at the prospect.

Gorsewind nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, young'un, you're in luck," the elder told him. "Applepaw looked me over just a couple hours ago."

"Oh. Okay," Grasspaw muttered, breathing a small sigh of relief but trying not to make it too obvious. "Um, I guess I'll be going, then?"

He turned to leave, but Gorsewind beckoned him back over with his tail. "Sit down with me for a while," the elder offered. "You have a look about you that I know all too well. Old Sandstar used to get that look about him back in the day when something was troubling him. So, what's the problem?"

Grasspaw glanced outside again, but he listened to the elder and sat down next to him, although it was really more of a squat. He didn't much care to be interrogated about his personal life by an elder, and he hoped this wouldn't take too long. It didn't matter how perceptive the old cat was; Grasspaw was not going to tell Gorsewind about his inner turmoil or whatever stupid thing he wanted to hear about.

"I was napping just now and I had a bad dream," Grasspaw admitted- he thought he might as well start out with something that was true. "I dreamed there was a bad storm and I fell into the lake. There was a cat above me and I called for help, but they just walked away."

"Hmm…" Gorsewind nodded along thoughtfully to Grasspaw's recount of his dream. "Do you think it could have had anything to do with the time when you were a kit and Seedpelt almost drowned?"

Grasspaw doubted it had anything to do with that event, but he decided to go with that explanation- it would be simpler than the whole truth. It was silly of him to think the dream could possibly be prophetic- he was just an ordinary cat. Besides, even if it wasn't the reason behind his nightmare, there was something important about that day. It was the day he'd first met Waterpaw, and Grasspaw knew he'd never forget it as long as he lived, even if he tried to.

"I think that experience may have had some lasting effects on me," was what Grasspaw chose to say out loud. "They may have contributed to my dream."

"Have you dreamed about drowning before?"

He shook his head. He'd dreamed about water and rain and rivers and lakes, but never about drowning. Usually Grasspaw didn't even remember his dreams; they were gone minutes after he'd woken up.

"Y'know, right after Sandstar became leader and StarClan started talking to him, he used to have a lot of troubling dreams whenever something bad was about to happen- or even when it wasn't," Gorsewind murmured, gazing off into the distance. Grasspaw guessed that he wasn't really looking in front of him at all- he was looking behind him; far behind, into days long gone by. "Sometimes he'd go consult Deerspots- she was our medicine cat before Podtail- but he never got on too well with her, and I reckon he didn't think Roseflower wanted to hear about it- and I'd say he was right."

He paused, chuckling slightly, before continuing.

"Most nights Sandstar would pop into the warriors' den and march right up to my nest. See, back when he was a warrior, we put our nests right next to each other. It had been that way when we were apprentices, too. He'd end up sitting and talking with me for the rest of the night, but he'd always fall back asleep before the sun rose- and then I'd follow suit," Gorsewind purred. "In the morning he'd sneak back to the leader's den before the rest of the Clan woke up and found him sleeping next to me. He even tried to make me deputy once- me! Can you imagine that? Oh, we had some good times together in your youth…"

He trailed off, and Grasspaw searched for something appropriate to say. "I guess you and Sandstar are really close, huh?" he mewed at last. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could come up with.

Gorsewind gave a scratchy purr, but it broke off into a coughing fit. Grasspaw was about to ask if there was anything he could do, but the elder recovered and straightened up. However, the laughter was gone from his eyes now, and it was replaced by a wistful and long-faded look of longing.

"We _were_ close, young'un," the elder sighed. "We really were. But now… things aren't how they were when we were young. About a year ago now, when I stumbled and fell while I was running after a rabbit and broke my leg, it finally sunk in with Sandstar how old I was getting- how old we're both getting. It was just a few days later that he officially retired me, and he wouldn't look me in the eye the whole time he was performing the ceremony. But it was long before then that we started to drift apart."

Grasspaw sat up straighter, suddenly intrigued. It may have been strange, but something about Gorsewind's story reminded Grasspaw of himself. He remembered with a pang of regret how he'd snuck away from a Gathering the previous moon because he'd seen Waterpaw in the crowd and she'd looked like she was looking for him. Keeping his dream about water destroying grass in mind, he'd decided it was best to avoid her, no matter how much it hurt him to do so. But was that really been the right decision?

"It may be hard for a young cat like you to imagine, but I wasn't always an elder, and Sandstar wasn't always the Clan leader," Gorsewind continued. "There was a time when we were just two eager young toms who wanted desperately to serve WindClan one day to the best of our abilities. Our mothers were very close, and we were born just a couple moons apart, so we ended up playing together a lot as kits. When he became an apprentice before me, I used to sneak out of camp to spy on his training sessions. And when I was finally a 'paw just like him, I made sure to put my nest in the apprentices' den right next to his."

"Wow," Grasspaw breathed, genuinely amazed by their obvious devotion to each other. "I've never had any cat in the Clan who's that close to me."

"Oh, I suspect few were so lucky- at least not starting from so young. But by the time Sandstar was a warrior- his warrior name was Sandstone, if you were wondering-, I was becoming surer with each passing day that our bond was deeper than any friendship." Gorsewind lifted his tail and rested it momentarily in the air next to him, hovering at about the spot where a cat's shoulder would be. Grasspaw wondered if he was imagining Sandstar there beside him. "As soon as I was a warrior too, I did my best to spend as much time with him as possible. And the craziest thing was: he never got tired of having me around. We became the talk of the Clan- 'Gorsewind and Sandstone went on a long walk together by the lake yesterday!' 'I think I saw them cuddled up in the same nest last night!' Little did we know that we'd soon prove them right."

Grasspaw was about to ask what he meant when Seedpelt appeared at the entrance, meowing a greeting. "Hey, Grasspaw, do you want to go hunting with me and Barkstripe?" the sleek brown warrior asked. He dipped his head respectfully to Gorsewind. "Good afternoon, Gorsewind. How are you feeling today?"

"…Reminiscent," the elder answered. Seedpelt gave him a puzzled look. "Oh, I'm just kidding with you," Gorsewind purred. "I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking."

"Great," Seedpelt mewed. Then he turned back to Grasspaw. "So, do you wanna come?"

"Sure," Grasspaw agreed. "Hunting sounds like fun."

The sun sank low in the sky, painting the lake in a dazzling array of soft, pastel colours. Purple clouds drifted across the sky as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the whole sky red. It was the most beautiful sight that Waterpaw had seen in ages, and it made the long and grueling training session of the day that was now coming to an end all seem worth it.

"You worked hard today," Foxfang grunted from ahead of her, forming the words around a trout he'd caught at the lake. "Good job."

Waterpaw dipped her head before she realized her mentor couldn't see her without turning around. "Thank you," she mewed instead, adding wistfully, "I didn't catch any fish, though…"

"New hunting techniques are hard to perfect," Foxfang reassured her. "Lakesplash said she also had trouble learning how to fish in the lake after getting used to fishing in the river."

"Speaking of Lakesplash, how is she?" Waterpaw asked. Foxfang hadn't talked about his mate much lately, but he had been spending more and more time with her in the nursery, and she was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. "It must be almost time for her to give birth."

Foxfang didn't answer at first. He slowed down and then stopped altogether to look out at the lake. Waterpaw was about to repeat her question when he drew in a long breath and answered.

"Lakesplash is doing fine," the ginger warrior meowed, although he didn't look Waterpaw in the eye as he said it. "Mossnose says she'll have her kits any day now, and that judging by the size of her belly, it's going to be a big litter."

"Well, that's great," Waterpaw mewed with relief, trying not to sound too surprised about the queen's wellbeing. Then she narrowed her eyes; something didn't add up about her mentor's behaviour. "Why all the secrecy, then?" she asked, leaning in inquisitively.

To her surprise, Foxfang actually hissed at her. Waterpaw stepped away, her eyes widening. "That is none of your business," he told her, standing up to glare down at her. He drew his lips back in the beginnings of a snarl. "I am your mentor, not the other way around. I don't have to answer all of your questions about my personal life."

Waterpaw gulped; her mentor had never looked so scary. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay…"

"She's fine," Foxfang hissed, his eyes flashing. Then he relaxed, continuing on his way as though nothing had happened. Waterpaw was hesitant about following him, but he was right- he was her mentor. So she kept her muzzle shut and her head down the rest of the way back to camp.

As the sun sank out of sight and the vibrant sky faded into star-studded blackness, Waterpaw couldn't help but wonder- was Lakesplash really all right? Somehow, she doubted it.


	16. Chapter 16

Shafts of sun broke through the cloud cover, illuminating the pollen and dust particles that hung in the air and warming Grasspaw's fur as he crouched beside a rabbit warren, waiting for one of the creatures to emerge. His tail twitched in frustration as the minutes crept by with no sign of movement within the hole he'd been watching for what felt like all day.

"Are you sure there are still rabbits living here?" he whispered to Spikeear. "None of them have come out yet."

"Don't ask me," the white warrior grumbled. "It was Runningfoot's idea to hunt here today, remember?"

Nearby, Runningfoot flicked his ears irritably. "Hey, keep quiet," he ordered. "If you want to catch any rabbits here, you'll have to stop making so much noise."

Finally, just when Grasspaw was about to give up and suggest they move on to a different location, something moved inside the burrow. A moment later, a small brown rabbit poked its head out, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air. Spikeear's eyes gleamed as he watched the rabbit; Grasspaw recognized that he was waiting for it to get close enough. Beside him, Applepaw looked like she was having trouble holding herself back from pouncing right away.

The rabbit took a few cautious hops forward, standing up and sniffing the air again. Grasspaw prayed the wind wouldn't shift directions; they'd never catch the rabbit if it detected their scent. It would disappear back into the safety of its burrow before any of them could move a muscle.

Runningfoot waited a moment and then moved his tail- a signal. It was time to put the plan in action. He and Spikeear inched forward, closing in on the rabbit from either side, while Grasspaw and Applepaw shuffled backward, receding further back into the gorse patch right next to the entrance to the burrow. As per the plan, the rabbit noticed Runningfoot headed toward it on its left and ran to the right until it saw Spikeear in that direction. In that time, Applepaw crept out of hiding behind the gorse patch and moved in front of the hole so that when the rabbit turned to run back inside the burrow, it was blocked off.

Now it was finally time for Grasspaw to take over. With a surge of adrenaline, he burst out of hiding and lunged at the rabbit. With a terrified squeak, it dashed away, running right between Spikeear and Runningfoot. The warriors closed in on the rabbit, with Runningfoot grabbing it and cutting off its squeal with a bite to the back.

"That was fun!" Applepaw declared while her mentor scraped earth over the rabbit's body so they could come back for it later. "Next time can I be the one to catch it, though?"

"Or me," Grasspaw added. "I mean, I'm sure I could have caught it myself if I'd just chased it down."

"I think you furballs are missing the point," Spikeear muttered. "This is an exercise in teamwork- a skill that you two don't seem to give a piece of mouse-dung about. Didn't I tell you on your first or second day that rabbits are too fast for cats your age to outrun?"

Grasspaw knew his mentor was right, but it was still annoying. How come the adults always got all the glory? Even when he and Waterpaw had gotten home after being abducted by the owl, it was the patrol that had found them passed out near the horseplace that had received praise from Sandstar. It wasn't thanks to the patrol that they'd gotten home alive! Besides, he didn't see why he had to learn how to work with Applepaw. Once they were warriors, he intended on working with his littermates as little as possible.

"Now, I know another rabbit warren further down by the lake," Runningfoot meowed. "Why don't we try that technique again there- but this time the mentors and apprentices can switch roles," he added, giving Applepaw a look that said, _are you happy now?_

Applepaw did indeed seem happy, and Grasspaw had to admit he was happy as well that he'd get the chance to kill the prey this time. He just wished that the technique didn't involve so many cats. Either you just blocked the rabbit off, pointed it in the right direction, or it just ran into your paws! Grasspaw just wanted to run after prey sometimes, like he used to try when Spikeear had taken him hunting on his own. He'd never caught anything that way, but the attempt had always been much more exhilarating than the teamwork method.

But after the incident with the owl, Grasspaw and his littermates never got taken out hunting individually. Today he and Applepaw were out hunting while Berrypaw stayed behind in the camp; yesterday he and Berrypaw had been partnered up for battle training and Applepaw had stayed in the camp; the day before that his sisters had gone out together with their mentors to the abandoned twoleg den to replenish Podtail's catmint supply while Grasspaw (thankfully) had stayed behind. He knew why Sandstar had made the decision, of course, but that didn't mean he had to like it. They already had their mentors with them! Why did they need another apprentice and mentor as well? It was especially infuriating since the new rule didn't even apply to warriors. Seedpelt had gone hunting by himself a couple days ago and no cat had stopped him. How did that make sense?!

As the hunting party walked along, Grasspaw's thoughts shifted from frustration to bewilderment. The ground beneath his paws was turning soft and spongy, and the grass was being replaced by reeds. "Where are we going again?" he asked Runningfoot.

"I told you; we're going to another rabbit warren," the gray warrior explained. "This is just a shortcut."

"He's taken me there before," Applepaw mewed. "I think you'll like it, Grasspaw," she added, her tone sending an unexpected chill down Grasspaw's spine. "It's by the RiverClan border."

Waterpaw had been sitting in the shade daydreaming about her bright future when she'd been jerked back to reality by screeches coming from the nursery. Cats flocked around the entrance to the den, held back by Mossnose's commands as she pushed her way through the mob. It didn't take Waterpaw long to realize, even as she hung back, that Lakesplash was having her kits. And judging by the way things were sounding, it wasn't going very well.

Foxfang emerged from the nursery, his usually well-kempt fur ruffled and bedraggled and his amber eyes wide. "We need a stick," he cried, looking around the camp. "Somebody get us a stick!" His eyes landed on Waterpaw. "Waterpaw! Go fetch us a stick- a sturdy one."

"I'm happy to help," Waterpaw mewed. She scanned the camp for something suitable, but the closest thing she could find were roots and waterlogged branches in the stream. She was just thinking that maybe she'd have to go out of camp for this when she remembered the patched-up hole in the apprentices' den.

Waterpaw scrambled on top of the den, almost slipping on the rocks that comprised most of the den even though they weren't wet at all; it hadn't even rained in days. She found the spot where Oakpaw had woven sticks together to cover the hole, and she bit down on the end of a sturdy-looking one and carefully pried it out. Once she had the stick, Waterpaw hopped down, running over to the nursery to hand the stick to Foxfang.

Her mentor passed the stick to his mate without even a thank-you. Watersplash tried not to look at Lakesplash as she convulsed in the nest she'd made for herself. She hoped she'd never have kits. Maybe it was wrong of her to think that- Minnowleap had often remarked that she hoped to have grandkits one day- but Watersplash could hardly even imagine finding a tom in her Clan that she'd want as a mate, let alone having his kits. The whole process just looked way too painful.

But that didn't mean she didn't want to help Lakesplash out. "Is there anything else I can do?" she asked Mossnose.

"The best thing you can do is stay out of the way," Foxfang answered gruffly, but Mossnose didn't seem so sure.

"Actually," the medicine cat murmured, "I do have another task for you. Waterpaw, do you know where you can find chervil?"

"I think so," Waterpaw muttered. She didn't know much about herbs, but she remembered Mallowpaw pointing some out to her once while they'd been on a patrol together. "It grows down by the lake, right?"

Mossnose nodded. "The best clump is near the WindClan border," she told her. "It's got a sweet scent and fern-like leaves with white flowers. You'll know when you see it."

Waterpaw kept the description in mind as she took off, trotting off toward the lake. She tried not to concentrate on the herb's location too much, but as she drew closer to the WindClan border, her thoughts inevitably shifted back to Grasspaw. Waterpaw told herself to focus on getting the chervil, but it seemed like so long since she'd seen him that she couldn't help but think about him, even though she knew she probably wouldn't see him there.

A sweet scent drifted into Waterpaw's open mouth when she tasted the air, and she spotted a plant that match Mossnose's description poking up from the marshy ground. She tugged a few of the leaves off while marvelling at the medicine cat's knowledge- if it weren't for the smell, she would have definitely mistaken the plant for an ordinary fern clump. The white flowers were so small she could barely see them, and most of them were still only buds. It was still newleaf, after all.

Once Waterpaw was sure she had enough, she was about to turn around and head back to camp. However, something caught her attention- a rustling in the long grass a few fox-lengths away, followed by a high-pitched squeal. Waterpaw ran forward to see what was happening, only to have a rabbit run almost directly into her paws.

"Whoa," Waterpaw exclaimed, taken too much by surprise to kill the animal. Luckily, she didn't have to; a greenish-gray flash flew from the grass and knocked Waterpaw off her paws, landing on the rabbit and cutting off its shrill cries.

"Haha! Gotcha!" a familiar voice yowled victoriously. Waterpaw's stomach sank when she saw the cat she'd been trying not to think about for the past two moons. Grasspaw looked quite pleased with himself as he picked up the dead rabbit by its ears and began to drag it back the way he'd come from.

Waterpaw lay still amongst the tall grass, hoping he wouldn't spot her. She held her breath as she watched him sniff the air, curiosity coming over his face for a moment before it was replaced with dreadful realization.

Grasspaw pushed a stand of long grass aside and stared down at Waterpaw, the expression on his face making her nervous. She'd expected him to be happier than this. After all, it was the first time they'd seen each other in two moons.

Waterpaw rolled over onto her back, putting her paws up in the air playfully in an attempt to look cute. "Hi," she mewed, giving him a nervous giggle. Grasspaw didn't look amused, so she straightened up and got to her paws. "Um, hi, Grasspaw," she mumbled, staring at her paws and hoping he'd respond. "It's been a while."

"Not long enough, if you ask me," the WindClan apprentice replied curtly. Waterpaw shrunk back in dismay, pressing her ears back. Grasspaw blinked apologetically at her as she did so, but he remained stern. "You shouldn't be here," he told her, looking more worried than unkind now. "Go back to your own territory."

"Why don't you follow your own advice, fish-brain?" Waterpaw challenged, her fur beginning to bristle. She really didn't feel like starting a fight- especially not with Grasspaw- but her friend's behaviour was irritating her. "You caught that rabbit on RiverClan territory. That means you have to give it up."

Grasspaw glared at Waterpaw, but he sniffed at the air, a scowl settling over his face. "Mouse-dung," he muttered. "You're right." He gave Waterpaw a cool stare, and held it as he slowly laid his rabbit on the ground. "I guess I'd better give this fresh-kill up- not that you fish-eaters will care for it."

Was he just trying to provoke her?! Waterpaw wanted to reach out and give Grasspaw a good swipe across the nose, but she knew she'd get in so much trouble for it. Instead, she decided to throw him off by giving him what he wanted- other than the satisfaction of a fight, of course.

She prodded at the rabbit; it did smell pretty good, but she'd never cared much for land prey. "You can keep your stupid rabbit, Grasspaw," she muttered, not letting him tear his deep green eyes away from her gaze. "No cat has to know exactly where you made the kill. Just…" She paused, flexing her claws as she struggled to put her confusion into words. "…Just talk to me like you did before! Why are you acting like this?!"

For a long moment, Grasspaw didn't respond. He bent down to pick up his rabbit, and Waterpaw thought for a moment that he was simply going to trudge off without replying at all. From the way he hesitated, maybe Grasspaw thought so too. But he finally set down his prey again and gave Waterpaw his explanation- although it wasn't one she was entirely satisfied with.

"I don't like you, Waterpaw," Grasspaw began simply. She took a step back, astounded that he could even say such a thing with such a serious face. "I don't hate you, either," he continued before she could react too strongly. "You're just… you're just another cat to me- a RiverClan cat. We can't keep going the way we were before, Waterpaw. You know that as well as I do."

"Of course I know that!" Waterpaw hissed, surprised at the fury in her own mew. "I know that we could never be… be _mates_ or anything! But I don't _want_ to be anything like that. Grasspaw! Can't you see?! I just want us to be friends!"

Grasspaw blinked at Waterpaw, clearly taken aback. He almost looked distraught as he mewed, "I know you know that. And I'm saying even that's too much. Cats always say they're friends with cats from other Clans," he continued, a tinge of bitterness seeping into his tone, "but none of them are really close to each other. In a fight, we all know whose side they'd be on: their own. And that's how it has to be with us, too."

Without giving Waterpaw the chance to respond, Grasspaw grabbed his rabbit and stalked off. At least, that's how Waterpaw would go on to replay the scenario inside her head. In reality, she'd had plenty of time to respond- to give Grasspaw some snappy retort that would send him away with his ego bruised, if no other part of him.

She just hadn't seen the point.

By the time Waterpaw got back to camp with the chervil, it was too late to help. Lakesplash had finished kitting, and now three kits were suckling at the exhausted queen's belly. Mossnose gave her an inquisitive glance as she poked her head into the nursery, but she didn't follow up on it with any questions, which Waterpaw was grateful for. The last thing she wanted to do was be interrogated.

Why was Grasspaw acting like such a furball?!

"Great catch, brother," Applepaw mewed as the hunting party headed back to camp. "I was pretty sure you were going to lose it, but you sure proved me wrong!"

"Thanks," Grasspaw mumbled around the rabbit. "You did pretty well too."

"Yeah, I was doing great until you _knocked me over_ so you could run after the rabbit yourself and live out your rabbit-brained fantasies," she purred. Then she flicked her tail across Grasspaw's ear playfully. "Just kidding; I don't hold it against you."

Grasspaw stayed silent the rest of the way home, listening to Applepaw chatter about how she couldn't wait to become a warrior so she could have a mate. Normally he'd peg any cat who talked like that as tom-crazy, but in Applepaw's case she was clearly she-cat-crazy. He honestly didn't get why his sister liked Barkstripe so much; sure, she was pretty enough, but there was nothing too special about her. Then he realized that it probably had something to do with her being the only other she-cat in Applepaw's age group who wasn't related to her.

Once Applepaw's ramblings grew boring, Grasspaw tuned her out and instead listened in on Spikeear and Runningfoot's conversation. The brothers seemed to be comparing hunting methods, and sharing a laugh at Grasspaw's little stunt that had led to him running into Waterpaw- not that they knew anything about that part.

In a lot of ways, it was that run-in with Waterpaw that kept Grasspaw so silent. Even once they got back to camp and he dropped his rabbit on the fresh-kill pile along with the one Runningfoot had killed earlier, he kept turning the encounter over in his mind, unable to pry his thoughts away from the look of utter dismay on the blue-gray she-cat's face when he'd snapped at her. Should he have been so harsh with her? Probably not, but it was what he had to do. She probably hated him now, and that had been Grasspaw's intention- to get Waterpaw to stop trying to find him; to stop looking for him at Gatherings; to stop wishing he'd talk to her again.

Yes; Grasspaw had accomplished his goal. So why did he feel as though there were a pit in his stomach?


	17. Chapter 17

Tiny droplets of dew still clung to the leaves on the cluster of poplar saplings that had sprouted up at the edge of the RiverClan camp, and the air carried the scent of rain left over from the previous night. Waterpaw observed the dewdrops with a faint smile as one rolled down the soft green leaf it rested on and landed in a puddle, causing a tiny splash.

Patchfur must have seen her smile. "What are you so happy about?" the black-and-white tom mewed, leaning over to give Waterpaw a playful headbutt.

"Nothing," she mumbled, gazing down at her paws. One of her claws had gotten torn a couple days ago by a very angry fish, and it was taking its time to heal. When she flexed her claws, it still hurt a bit. She just hoped she wouldn't have to get into any battles until her claw was healed.

It had been several moons since Waterpaw's unpleasant encounter with Grasspaw at the lake, and now greenleaf was in full swing. Waterpaw had been born in early leaf-fall, so she had never seen the Clan territories at their most beautiful. It was just a shame that she couldn't fully appreciate it after all that had happened in the four moons since Lakesplash had kitted.

Everything had been fine at first. Foxfang had warmed up a lot to Waterpaw in the first few days after his kits were born, and she'd loved the extra positive attention. But then Lakesplash's health had started to deteriorate. She wasn't making enough milk to feed all her kits, which had led to one of them dying. Lakesplash herself had died a few weeks later, and all the warmth that had emerged in Foxfang had vanished. Now he barked orders at Waterpaw, often going so far as to take a swipe at her when she did something wrong. She understood the ginger warrior's turmoil, but she wished he'd keep his claws sheathed. It was hard to explain to Minnowleap why she came home with scratches on her face sometimes, and she feared her mother would be angry with her mentor if she found out.

Luckily for Lakesplash's remaining two kits, Storkflight had had her kits shortly before Lakesplash had died, and had happily adopted them into her own litter. That was fine and all, but it didn't do much good for Waterpaw. She'd offered to look after the kits a few times, but Foxfang wouldn't let her. "You're too important for menial tasks like that," he'd say, but Waterpaw thought maybe it was really because he didn't trust her. She was sure her suspicions were unfounded, but she couldn't help but wonder sometimes…

Patchfur gave Waterpaw a gentle nudge, jolting her out of her depressing thoughts. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

Waterpaw blinked, heat creeping up her cheeks as she realized that her friend had been talking the whole time. She hadn't heard a word he'd said, but she hoped he wouldn't figure that out if she gave a generic enough response.

"Um… I think it could be a good thing," she muttered vaguely, not looking Patchfur in the eye. "We'll just have to wait and see, I guess."

Patchfur's whiskers twitched in amusement. "You haven't heard a single thing I've been saying, have you?" he purred. Waterpaw squirmed, but she couldn't deny it. "That's all right," Patchfur meowed. "I'll repeat it. Well, some of it. I'm not going to say every single word all over again."

"Just get on with it," Waterpaw mewed impatiently. She didn't mean to be rude, but she didn't have time for beating around the bush.

"Okay. Well. Remember that ShadowClan cat I've been telling you about? They're a warrior now- Birchstripe! Cool, huh?" Patchfur's eyes glowed as he spoke, and Waterpaw could tell with one glance that he was still just as in love with that cat as he had been over a season ago.

She had to admit that she was more than a little surprised by this; in the past, Patchfur's crushes from other Clans had been just that-crushes. His interest in them had been short-lived, and he'd moved on before things could get serious- which had been a good thing. But if things between him and Birchstripe had lasted this long, Waterpaw feared that the blotchy-furred tom might just have a problem on his paws.

"Tell me more about Birchstripe," Waterpaw mewed cautiously. She hoped she wouldn't come off as too intrusive, but she needed more information to know whether or not she should tell Miststar about this. "What are they like?"

"Oh, they're so… beautiful! And handsome! And cute! All at the same time!" Patchfur sighed, a dreamy look in his bright green eyes. "They like to play cute little games like hide-and-seek, and they're really buff! They can even give me a badger ride! A flippin' _badger ride_! Can you believe that?!"

"Wow," Waterpaw muttered as dread knotted up in her belly. "That's amazing."

Patchfur grinned, and Waterpaw noticed that he had scraps of fish stuck between his fangs. She suppressed a mrrow of amusement. "You bet it's amazing," he cried, his voice getting dangerously loud. Waterpaw clamped her tail over his mouth; even though they were out hunting by themselves, the border patrol she knew Miststar must have sent out a while ago couldn't have been too far away. "Sorry," Patchfur muttered sheepishly once she lowered her tail. "It's hard not to get excited thinking about the cat you love, you know?"

 _The cat you love._ It was such a simple phrase, but it made a world of difference. Patchfur had never been in love before. He'd only ever been infatuated. Waterpaw tried to swallow down the lump that had risen in her throat, but her throat was too dry for her to swallow.

"So anyways, what I was asking was whether or not I should ask them to be my mate," Patchfur finished, ducking his head down to give himself a couple of embarrassed chest licks.

Waterpaw didn't respond. She couldn't respond. All she could do was give her friend a halfhearted shrug and a very forced hopeful smile.

As if knowing that Patchfur was really and truly in love with this cat wasn't bad enough, he was actually thinking about being their mate?! _That settles it_ , Waterpaw thought bleakly. It pained her to do so, but one thing was clear: Miststar had to be told.

 _You did what you had to do._

Even an entire season after the fact, it was still hard for Grasspaw to believe the words he kept repeating to himself. He'd ended his friendship with Waterpaw not because he'd wanted to, but because he'd had to. If he hadn't, they'd have just kept on going in the direction he knew they'd been going in since they first met.

But it wasn't even the fact that he'd had to be so horrible to Waterpaw, a cat he really liked even now, or even the fact that she definitely hated him now that really bothered him. It was her claim that she'd only ever wanted to be friends. Maybe it was selfish of Grasspaw to assume so, but however much he'd denied it to Applepaw whenever she'd bring it up, he'd been positive that Waterpaw had been in love with him. And he didn't know much yet about love or any of that weird stuff, but he'd been pretty sure he'd loved her too.

None of that mattered now, though. All that mattered was doing the best that he possibly could in his warrior training- especially today. Because today was Grasspaw and his littermates' final assessment.

"Can you believe this?" Applepaw had shrieked as the three apprentices had their breakfast and got ready to head out. "They're finally going to make us into warriors! It's amazing!"

"Don't get your hopes up," Grasspaw had reminded her. "There's no guarantee we'll even pass our assessments."

Berrypaw had looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are we gonna stay 'paws if we don't pass?"

"Probably," Grasspaw had muttered, immediately followed by Applepaw cuffing him over the ears and giving him a stern look.

"Don't talk like that," she'd spat, crouching in front of her sister defensively. Berrypaw had shrunken back, her ears pressed against her head. "We're totally going to pass, you stupid furball!"

Now, as Grasspaw crouched alone in the tall grass, he reflected on his harshness. It hadn't been the first time that Applepaw had accused him of being mean to Berrypaw, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. But it wasn't his fault! He never meant to offend Berrypaw; she was just too fragile. The concept that she could very soon be becoming a warrior made Grasspaw's stomach turn. She wasn't ready for that yet! Heck, Applepaw was barely ready, that rabbit-brain! As mean-spirited as it may have been, Grasspaw almost wished that his littermates would fail their assessments and be held back from being warriors until they stopped having bees in their brains. Then again, he reflected with a sigh, that day would probably never come.

A rustling in the grass alerted Grasspaw to the presence of prey. He dropped into the hunter's crouch, creeping forward and opening his jaws to taste the air. He detected the scent of vole, and a few seconds later heard its little feet scampering around. It pushed the grass aside where it ran, so Grasspaw used that to pinpoint its location and waited for it to get closer.

Just as he was about to pounce, the wind shifted, blowing Grasspaw's scent toward his prey. The vole let out a fearful squeak and turned to run away. Letting out a frustrated growl, Grasspaw ran after the vole, chasing it down quickly and pouncing on it. He scraped some earth over his kill and searched for more prey.

Grasspaw went on to catch another vole, two mice, and a shrew- nothing even remotely impressive. He wished he could catch something cool, like a grouse or an adder, or even a rabbit, but he knew he'd have no such luck. He was just not good enough at hunting, so why should he even try pursuing prey he could never catch on his own?

But he also knew that Spikeear was somewhere watching him, and he had been given the instruction "catch as much prey as possible", so maybe it would impress his mentor if he made an attempt to catch something cooler. He remembered the location of a rabbit warren that he'd hunted at with his littermates and their mentors before and headed in its direction, stopping every so often to check that he was going the right way. Soon enough, he came across fresh rabbit tracks in the damp grass. They led him to a hole in the side of a hill. Grasspaw snuck up next to the opening and held his breath, listening for the scuffle of feet in the dirt that would give away the presence of rabbits. Sure enough, he heard one hopping toward the entrance. He backed away and waited for it to emerge before jumping in front of the hole, blocking it off.

The rabbit started to run; Grasspaw followed after it, moving his legs as fast as he could. The rabbit took a sharp turn to the right and Grasspaw screeched to a halt, continuing to pursue the rabbit, but it had gained on him. He lost sight of the creature as it ran down a steep slope, no doubt disappearing into another burrow.

Grasspaw stopped to catch his breath. _Stupid rabbits_ , he thought. _If Spikeear really is watching me, he probably thinks I'm doing awful._ Grumbling, Grasspaw padded back over to where he'd buried his other prey. At least he'd caught something, even if it wasn't much.

But just as he was about to give up on catching anything else, a pecking noise caught his attention. He looked behind him and saw a large grouse pecking at some seeds that must have blown over from the trees in ThunderClan territory.

Grasspaw began to slink toward the grouse, hoping it wouldn't look up and notice him. Once he was close enough, he coiled his muscles and pounced, feeling a burst of satisfaction as he landed on the grouse. But the bird was too large to be taken down immediately. It began rapidly flapping its wings in panic, creating a series of loud thuds that would no doubt scare off any other prey in the area. Grasspaw swore under his breath as he tried to hold on to the bulky bird, pressing down on its back to prevent it from flying away. He knew that grouse weren't very good at flying, but even a few seconds in the air could make the difference between catching it or not.

Hoping to make the kill quickly to get things over with, Grasspaw wrapped his front legs around to the front of the grouse's neck to rip its throat open. It was a bit of a gory method, but he felt that the bird was too big for standard hunting techniques. But the grouse bit down on his leg, sending pain shooting up through Grasspaw and causing him to lose his grip for a second. In that time, the grouse threw him off with a powerful beat of its wings. Grasspaw was left winded on the ground for a moment, but he scrambled to his paws and ran after the grouse before it could take off.

Things went a lot better the second time around, as they usually did. This time Grasspaw decided not to be so fancy and instead chomped down on the grouse's spine as hard as he could. It went limp, but not before kicking up at Grasspaw and giving him a good cut across his flank, close to his stomach. For a moment Grasspaw froze, his mind flashing back to his battle with the owl. He remembered being carried away, and the horrible sensation of having its talon poking inside his stomach. The memories were enough to make bile rise up in Grasspaw's throat, and he turned away from the freshly-killed grouse to retch.

As Grasspaw wiped bile from his muzzle, he reflected that his mentor had probably been watching that from somewhere. He hoped Spikeear wouldn't think it was too weird. No doubt he wouldn't draw the connection between the grouse and the owl; in fact, almost no cat had brought the whole affair up since his safe return more than four moons ago now. And maybe it was for the best that they hadn't; the topic would only remind him of Waterpaw, and Grasspaw had been doing his very best to wipe all traces of her from his mind.

Waterpaw had intended to tell Miststar about Patchfur as soon as they got back to the camp. She really had! But she'd just felt so guilty about it that she'd decided to wait. She would tell him later that day, she told herself. But she never did. Shellpaw came up to her around sunhigh and asked her to go for a walk by the lake, and Waterpaw thought about telling her about Patchfur and then asking her to tell Miststar. But Shellpaw didn't need to know about that. So the secret stayed hidden.

Finally, late at night while Waterpaw was trying to get to sleep, Patchfur barged into the apprentices' den and pulled her outside. Shellpaw and Oakpaw luckily weren't woken up, but Mallowpaw raised her head sleepily and blinked at Patchfur in confusion. "What's going on?" she murmured.

"It's nothing," Waterpaw assured her in a whisper, hoping it was true but somehow knowing it wasn't. "Just go back to sleep."

Mallowpaw looked suspicious, but she was clearly very sleepy. She lowered her head back down and was snoring again in a matter of seconds. Waterpaw gave a short sigh of relief before turning to look at Patchfur again. "So, what gives?" she mewed.

Patchfur glanced around warily. "Let's talk about this someplace more secluded," he whispered. "I don't want any cat to know."

 _That's the opposite of what I want_ , Waterpaw thought guiltily. Needless to say, she didn't dare tell her friend that she intended to tell the leader about his relationship with Birchstripe. Besides, she hadn't been able to work up the urge to tell Miststar the situation that day, so it might not even matter in the long run.

The two cats crept out of camp; Patchfur guided Waterpaw over to the creek where they'd been hunting earlier in the day, when he'd told her what he was planning on doing. "It feels appropriate to tell you here," he explained, his voice rising into a high squeal. "Great StarClan, Waterpaw, you won't believe this!"

"Won't believe what?" Waterpaw asked, although she felt she already knew.

"I asked Birchstripe to be my mate, and they said yes!" Patchfur's eyes shone so brightly that if they'd been silver rather than green, they could have belonged in Silverpelt.

But just because his eyes shone as brightly as stars, that didn't mean the stars were on his side. There was no way StarClan wanted this to happen, so Waterpaw had to put a stop to it.

"I must be the luckiest cat alive," he continued, a purr rumbling in his throat. "When I asked them, they didn't even hesitate before saying yes! We didn't know exactly how things are going to work out," he added, dropping his voice to a whisper- a wise choice, Waterpaw reflected. "But we're certain things will turn out okay. At least for now, we'll just have to be mates in secret."

"G-good for you…"

"Oh, yeah, it's totally great!" Patchfur purred. Waterpaw was pretty sure he continued talking after that- no doubt rambling on even more about how amazing Birchstripe was- but she didn't hear a single word he said.

How much further would things go before her fish-brained friend came to his senses?!


	18. Chapter 18

By the time afternoon had arrived and the sun was beginning to move further to the west, Grasspaw was satisfied that he had caught just enough prey to please his mentor. He had to admit that he felt pretty good about himself, having caught another rabbit and a few more smaller creatures, including as blackbird that he'd nabbed just before it could fly away. Grasspaw kind of hoped that his assessment would be over soon so that it could end on a good note. He was just beginning to wonder if it would be ending soon when a frantic voice rang through the air, startling him.

"Grasspaw! Come quick!" Grasspaw stiffened; that was Applepaw's voice! He whipped his muzzle around to see his sister running up to him with wide, panicked eyes. Her ears were pressed back against her head and her white-and-red fur was standing on end.

Any further hunting abandoned, he quickly padded over to her. As soon as he reached her, she started running in the direction she'd come from; Grasspaw followed along after her, doing his best to keep up. "What is it?" he asked, worried by Applepaw's urgency. "What happened?"

"It's Berrypaw!" she wailed. "She was stalking a rabbit and stumbled across an adder and-" Grasspaw tensed, certain that Applepaw was going to say that Berrypaw had been bitten by the adder. He couldn't decide if what she did say was better or worse: "Owlwing jumped out to protect her and she killed the adder, but… it bit her!"

Grasspaw's breath caught in his throat. He found himself coming to a halt, his paws immobilized with horror. Applepaw urged him on, but he couldn't move. He could barely bring himself to ask, but he had to. "Is she alive?" he whispered hoarsely.

Applepaw looked from side to side fearfully; Grasspaw knew she was in a hurry to get back to their mother fast. "She was a minute ago," she mumbled, but her mew warbled and Grasspaw knew she suspected that might have changed. Then Applepaw's features sharpened, and she prodded Grasspaw's hind legs. "Hurry up! We have to go!"

Blinking, Grasspaw complied. He stumbled along after Applepaw in a daze, staring down at his paws, until she came to a stop. He kept his eyes trained on his paws, wincing as he heard Applepaw fall completely silent. He didn't dare to look up and see Owlwing…

Even so, out of sheer curiosity, Grasspaw raised his head slightly and wished he hadn't as soon as he did. He saw Spikeear, Runningfoot, and Berrypaw clustered around a lifeless mound of cream-coloured fur. Even from where he stood, he could see tiny flecks of foam in her mouth, and although she still twitched, her eyes were glazed over. Berrypaw in particular looked distressed, clambering over Owlwing's body. Since WindClan had so few warriors, Owlwing was Berrypaw's mentor despite also being her mother, which had brought Berrypaw no shortage of joy, especially with how kitlike she was. But what Grasspaw's childish sister had once perceived as lucky had now led to tragedy for him and his sisters.

Runningfoot cast his gaze low, hanging his head as Applepaw ran up to Owlwing's side and exchanged a dreading glance with Berrypaw. "I'm sorry," he told her, his deep voice trembling. "There's nothing we can do."

Grasspaw tried to pretend he didn't know what those words entailed. He fought to keep his breath even, but it was a lost cause, he sucked in air too fast to exhale it all, becoming dizzy. The ground that he kept his eyes fixed on became blurry; his paws doubled in front of his eyes. His short, frantic breaths became louder to block out the sound of Berrypaw wailing in despair, and Applepaw trying to calm her down but clearly being far too distraught herself for it to do any good.

Spikeear must have noticed Grasspaw hyperventilating, because he padded over to his side and sat down next to him. "Hey, kid, slow down your breathing, okay?" the white warrior murmured, his voice far softer than Grasspaw had ever heard it before. "We don't want you to pass out."

Grasspaw did his best to comply, drawing in larger gasps of air and trying to pause a moment before breathing back out. Finally, he broke off into a coughing fit, and when it subsided his breath was ragged bit not too fast-paced. "Better," Spikeear said. Then he rested his tail on Grasspaw's back reassuringly, opening his muzzle to add something but choosing to remain silent.

"We must return to camp," Runningfoot muttered. His pale brown face was dark, but his meow was steady. "Grasspaw, Applepaw, and Berrypaw- retrieve all the prey you caught today. Needless to say, the final assessment is over."

He and Spikeear picked up Owlwing and took off back to the WindClan camp first, while Grasspaw, Applepaw, and Berrypaw went back to the spots they'd buried their fresh-kill. Grasspaw felt empty while retrieving his rabbits and the grouse he'd been so proud of killing. They all remained silent as they trudged home; having lifted his gaze from his paws, Grasspaw now kept his eyes trained blankly ahead. How could something like this have come out of nowhere?! He was positive his life was cursed so that he could never be happy.

As they entered the camp, Seedpelt's eyes lit up and he began to wave his tail at them until he saw the looks on their faces. His tail drooped; he mouthed "what happened?" to Grasspaw as he walked past. Grasspaw didn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to answer.

His world was spinning as he stumbled into the apprentices' den and collapsed in his nest. It was still daytime, but as far as he was concerned, this day was over. His whole life might as well have been over. Grasspaw buried his muzzle between his paws and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out his sorrow but quickly giving way and letting it overwhelm him, like water closing over his head.

A few minutes later, Applepaw came in and spoke gently to him for a while. Apparently Runningfoot and Spikeear had rushed Owlwing to the medicine den, but from what Grasspaw understood about snakebites, he didn't see the point. She'd clearly been moments away from dying, and besides, Runningfoot himself had said that there'd been nothing they could do for her. Was he just trying to give them false hope? That seemed cruel, particularly for Berrypaw. The poor cat was closer to her mother than Applepaw and Grasspaw, and knowing that Owlwing had sacrificed herself for her must have made it even more devastating.

Well, even if Applepaw and Berrypaw were that gullible, Grasspaw wasn't. He wouldn't let his hopes up, because he knew his mother wouldn't survive. What was the point in trying to elongate her life another few minutes?

What was the point of any of this?

"Miststar, may I speak with you for a moment?" Waterpaw meowed, doing her best to keep her voice steady and her eyes looking up. "I need to report a violation of the warrior code. It has to do with one of your warriors having a relationship outside of their Clan…"

She trailed off, frowning. That sounded too formal, didn't it? As much as it was her duty to inform the Clan leader of Patchfur's forbidden relationship, it just felt so wrong to refer to what her friend was doing as a violation of the warrior code- even though that was exactly what it was.

She shook her pelt out and tried again, reflecting that it was a good thing she'd decided to practice before talking to Miststar. Even though she knew he thought very highly of her- because every cat did- it was still a bit unnerving to have to talk directly to the Clan leader.

Waterpaw stared back at the wall of the apprentices' den, focusing on one slightly crooked stone that she was pretending was Miststar's face. She figured it would help her when she had to make eye contact with him. Looking down at her paws was a very tempting thing to do when she was going to be talking to the most important cat in the Clan (Waterpaw knew there were some cats- such as Minnowleap- who would have considered _her_ to be the most important cat in the Clan, but she hadn't really done anything too important yet, so until she did, that distinction still belonged to the leader).

With a slightly less formal approach in mind, Waterpaw took a deep breath and tried again. "Hey, Miststar, I've got something I need to tell you," she began. "Patchfur has been seeing this cat from ShadowClan, and he's _really_ serious about it." She broke off, realizing that now she was sounding too formal.

With a sigh, Waterpaw tried one final time.

"Miststar, I really need you help," she meowed, trying to keep the edge of desperation out of her voice. "One of my friends- Patchfur- is breaking the warrior code by having a mate outside of his Clan. What should we do?!"

Against her expectations, she got a reply- not Miststar, of course, but Shellpaw, who had appeared at the entrance to the den and was regarding her curiously. "Uh, what's up, Waterpaw?" she asked. "Talking to yourself again?" she added teasingly, although her purr held a detectable amount of concern.

Waterpaw spun around to face her puzzled friend. "Oh, hi, Shellpaw," she muttered sheepishly, hoping Shellpaw hadn't guessed what was going on. "Um, yeah, I was just… testing the acoustics in here."

"Testing the acoustics by making a fake confession to Miststar, huh?" Shellpaw muttered, her eyes narrowed. "Interesting method of choice. Personally, I would have just meowed a whole bunch of times."

"Whatever," Waterpaw mewed quickly. "Anyways, what did you come here for?"

"This is my den too, fish-brain." Shellpaw's whiskers twitched with concerned amusement. "Me and Oakpaw and Mallowpaw all sleep here too, in case you'd forgotten."

"Oakpaw, Mallowpaw, and _I_ ," Waterpaw corrected her quietly.

"Huh? No, me," Shellpaw mewed. "I mean, I guess you sleep here too, but I was talking about us as littermates."

Waterpaw sighed. "No, no, it's-"

"Well, who even cares about that," Shellpaw interrupted. Her eyes sparkled as she mewed, "I actually came here to let you know that me and my littermates are-"

"My littermates and _I_."

Shellpaw wrinkled her nose. "What are you talking about? You don't even have littermates. Anyway!" Waterpaw wanted to explain that she'd been trying to help Shellpaw with her grammar, but she knew her friend wouldn't even care, so she just stayed quiet and let her talk. "We're probably going to be warriors really soon," the white apprentice squealed, hopping up and down with enthusiasm. "Our mentors pulled us over the other day and said that our training is almost done!"

"That's great," Waterpaw purred. She was happy for her friend until she remembered that Shellpaw, Oakpaw, and Mallowpaw were all just over a moon younger than Waterpaw. She'd started training before them, so home come they were going to be made warriors first?! In fact, why hadn't Foxfang even mentioned making her a warrior yet?

Well, maybe she could talk to Miststar about it while she was reporting Patchfur's little love affair. Either way, there was no reason to be bitter toward Shellpaw about it. She'd be a warrior soon enough.

"To be honest, I can't even imagine myself as a warrior," Shellpaw confessed. "And I always figured either Oakpaw or Mallowpaw would want to become medicine cats because, you know, they're smart or whatever. But I guess my littermates are just going to let their talents go to waste."

Waterpaw had to admit she agreed. Mallowpaw in particular had always seemed very drawn to herb studies, and often spent time with Mossnose in the medicine den. But maybe the shy young cat just wasn't equipped to actually treat sick and injured cats. She'd always been the most squeamish of her littermates, and Waterpaw related to that. In a way it was hard to imagine having a cat's life in her paw, even though she was supposedly going to have every cat's life in her paws someday.

None of that mattered right now, though. Waterpaw reminded herself of what she had to do: tell Miststar that Patchfur was seeing a cat outside of RiverClan. She dipped her head to Shellpaw and quickly padded outside, heading over to the leader's den, which was located at the back of the Shale Hill.

"Are you there, Miststar?" she called, poking her head into the small opening where the shale had crumbled away, leaving a hole in the rock where the leader slept. "I need to talk to you!"

From inside the small, cramped space came an answer. "Yes, I'm right here," the leader meowed. Waterpaw could just make out his figure getting up and padding over to the opening, where his gray pelt was washed in sunlight. It looked like he had dark circles under his eyes. "What do you need to tell me, Waterpaw?"

Waterpaw glanced warily around the camp. She didn't want anyone to listen in- especially not Patchfur. He'd hate her if he found out she told. "Can we talk about this in your den?" she whispered. She shuddered internally at the thought of being inside such a small space, but they needed privacy.

"Of course; come right in."

Nodding, Waterpaw ducked her head down so she could squeeze into the den. The shale brushed her whiskers and scraped her pelt, and cobwebs hung everywhere. Waterpaw hoped there were no spiders. She hated spiders. It was hard to believe that this was where the Clan leader slept, but she supposed that if the hole was any bigger, Shale Hill would collapse. Then Miststar would have nowhere to stand to address RiverClan at meetings. Waterpaw liked to think that if she ever became leader, she'd either just go no sleeping in the warriors' den or make a whole new den for herself. If she was leader, she could do whatever she wanted, right?

Once she had settled in next to Miststar, she cleared her throat and prepared to tell him everything.

"…So. Um. There's this thing," she began, instantly cringing upon hearing herself. This was not off to a very good start. "I mean, it's something very important," she continued, already squirming with embarrassment as Miststar cocked his head. "So, you trust and respect every RiverClan cat, right? Especially the warriors?"

"I suppose so," Miststar said slowly. Realization dawned in his eyes. "I think I know what this is about," he murmured. "But go on…"

Waterpaw took his response as a good sign. "Well, keeping that in mind," she explained. "There's kind of a problem right now."

Miststar stood up, shaking out his pelt vigorously. "Say no more," he meowed. "I'll go talk to Foxfang right now."

Before she could say any more, he trotted out of his den; Waterpaw followed in confusion. _Why does he want to talk to Foxfang?_ She got the feeling that Miststar had seriously misunderstood what she'd been trying to tell him.

The day after Grasspaw and his littermates' final assessment, Sandstar called a Clan meeting just as Grasspaw had known he would. It was their warrior ceremony- something he'd been looking forward to until what had happened yesterday.

Just as he'd thought, Owlwing had died shortly after being brought back to camp. Applepaw had appeared in the den and told him; she hadn't made eye contact with him or Berrypaw as they'd settled down to drift into uneasy sleep. Grasspaw had expected to stay awake all night, but he'd found himself falling asleep fairly quickly. Maybe it was because he'd already known that his mother was doomed that he didn't feel particularly sad. He merely felt empty.

When he woke up that morning, though- then he began to feel sad. Maybe it was seeing Berrypaw so upset, or maybe it was the way that Applepaw still wouldn't look him in the eye, or maybe it was when he ran into their father, Rabbitleap, at the fresh-kill pile (none of them felt like eating, but Grasspaw forced himself to gulp down a shrew to sustain himself) and he just stared at them with wide, mournful, and vaguely angry eyes until he turned away without a word. But whatever it was, Grasspaw was overcome with sorrow that he did his best to ignore.

He'd barely even interacted with his mother since becoming an apprentice, and he'd been training for moons now! She'd been Berrypaw's mentor, not his, and Grasspaw had done his best not to associate with his littermates any more than he'd had to. He had no reason to care, even though he had every reason to care. He was going to become a warrior, and how was he supposed to do that if he was acting like some mewling little kit?!

Grasspaw worked his claws into the ground and rocked angrily back and forth as he and his littermates sat beneath the tussock that Sandstar hoisted himself onto to address the Clan. His fur was a mess, but he didn't care- although he did notice with a pang of irritation that Berrypaw somehow was immaculately groomed. No doubt Applepaw had done it- maybe to try to console her sister about Owlwing. Not that it had done any good. Berrypaw's eyes were fixed on her paws, which she shuffled sadly as Sandstar introduced the apprentices.

"Take a good look at these cats. They've all worked very hard, and they've done a good job," Sandstar was saying. In his old age, he tended to forget the proper words for ceremonies, and instead liked to use his own words to get the message across. "In spite of the tragedy yesterday, they still deserve this moment after all the prey they caught." He raised his head, pointing his muzzle at Applepaw.

"Applepaw, you promise to always defend the Clan, don't you?"

"Yeah," she muttered. "I mean, I do."

"Of course you do. Why'd I even have to ask?" Sandstar murmured. "In that case, by the power vested in me, I give you a new name. From this moment on, you will be known as Appleshine, for you find a way to shine on every cat you know even in the hardest times. We welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

He touched his muzzle against Appleshine's forehead, and she licked his shoulder. Grasspaw gave his sister a proud smile as she sat back down next to him. Although he couldn't help but cringe a little at Sandstar butchering the words to the ceremony, he was sure that StarClan approved nonetheless.

Next, Sandstar turned to Berrypaw, whose head still hung low. "I'm very sorry about your mother, little one," he murmured. "But today is a day for joy, not for sorrow. Do you also promise to protect the Clan?"

Berrypaw nodded vigorously.

"Good, good. Then from now on, you will be known as Berryheart. StarClan values your youthfulness and kindness. Congratulations on becoming a warrior."

"How come he was so much more accurate to how it's supposed to go with her?" Appleshine muttered. "I mean, he didn't even say what my virtues are!"

"That's because you don't have any," Grasspaw teased. She gave give a friendly scuff around the ears and he ducked, starting to purr before catching himself. He was at his warrior ceremony; there was no time to be goofing off! Besides, how could he play around like this when his mother was dead? Immediately sobered by that last thought, Grasspaw straightened up just as Sandstar turned his attention to him.

"Last but not least, we have Grasspaw." Sandstar paused for a moment, scrunching his face up as thought trying to remember what he was supposed to say. _That hasn't stopped him before,_ Grasspaw thought irritably. _Come on, you old fleabag, just make up your own words like you always do!_ "Grasspaw, do you promise to do the same things as your littermates did?" the old leader asked finally. He was obviously very embarrassed to be so unable to recall the proper words for the ceremony, and Grasspaw felt sorry for the old cat… but if things were this hard for him, why didn't he just pick out a new deputy and then retire along with Roseflower?!

Pushing all his negative thoughts about the WindClan leader aside, Grasspaw meowed, "I do."

"Okay. Good. That's good…" Sandstar mumbled. He then muttered inaudibly to himself for a while before raising his voice enough to proclaim: "From this moment on, you will be known as Grasstail! StarClan honours your honesty and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

 _Hey, he actually got part of it right for once,_ Grasstail thought in happy surprise. However, Sandstar forgot to touch his muzzle to his forehead, instead simply ending the meeting with a flick of his tail and stumbling off back into his den.

Nonetheless, his Clanmates shouted Grasstail's new name along with his littermates'. "Appleshine! Berryheart! Grasstail! Appleshine! Berryheart! Grasstail!" No cat shouted Appleshine's new name louder than Barkstripe, who was sitting next to Seedpelt and watching with glittering eyes.

Even after the chanting had died down and the crowd had dispersed, Grasstail was left feeling happier than he felt he should have. He stopped himself from wondering whether Waterpaw was a warrior yet. That was none of his concern! Even so…

He cast a longing look in the direction of the RiverClan border. However much he told himself _no_ , he had to admit he could have used some companionship right about then.


	19. Chapter 19

Incessant birdsong filled the air, and Waterpaw could just make out the slowly rising sun outside the den if she tilted her head at the right angle. It looked like it was morning. Well, clearly it _was_ morning, but… couldn't she sleep for just a bit longer? Her denmates were still sleeping, so it was fine for her to keep sleeping for a little while longer too. She closed her eyes; she'd get up in a couple more minutes.

A couple minutes later, she was fast asleep again. Relentless rain and thunderstorms filled her dreams, as they had for a long time now. Unnerved by the nightmares, she drifted between waking up and going back to sleep for a while. It was hard for Waterpaw to remember the last time she'd dreamed about something normal, like hunting. Now all her dreams seemed to be about one of two things: the terrifying prophecy she was involved in, or…

A cold breeze blew through the apprentices' den and she shuddered, jolting herself fully awake for a few moments- she noticed that the other nests in the den were now empty- before she began to sink back into uneasy sleep. She stayed in this state for a couple more minutes- or maybe it was longer than that; who could tell- until an unexpected voice woke her from her restless sleep.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below Shale Hill for a Clan meeting!"

Waterpaw was more than startled by Miststar's call, but she composed herself. She shook her pelt, gave herself a couple of licks to smooth her fur out, and padded into the harsh morning sunlight, wondering what this was all about. She sat down next to her friends; none of them seemed to have any idea what this meeting was for either. "Maybe Storkflight's kits are going to be apprenticed?" Shellpaw suggested.

Oakpaw shook his head. "Can't be. They're too young."

A senior warrior shushed the apprentices, which Waterpaw had been thinking of doing herself. She liked her friends, but why did they have to be so loud, especially when Miststar was about to start talking?

"I've gathered you all here today to perform one of my favourite duties as leader- particularly when it's for such a marvelous young cat," Miststar purred. He made a beckoning motion with his tail, and it took Waterpaw a moment to realize his eyes were on her. "Step forward, Waterpaw."

Waterpaw gulped. Was she in trouble? She racked her mind for something bad she could have done, but she was fairly certain she'd been well-behaved for a good while. She hadn't talked to any cats from other Clans (she'd barely even interacted with any of them at the last Gathering she'd been to), and she hadn't broken the warrior code in any way. So if she wasn't in trouble, what was going on?

Judging from how happy Miststar looked, she guessed that wasn't the case. She took a couple steps forward, still not entirely sure what was happening, even though looking back on it later, she really should have been.

"I, Miststar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice," the leader continued. It was only then that Waterpaw finally figured out what this meeting was for, and she blinked, stunned at the realization. "She's trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."

Even now that Waterpaw knew what was happening, she still didn't quite understand it. Why was he making her a warrior now?! She hadn't even had an assessment! And it wasn't like she'd done anything too spectacular in the past few days- the last really "heroic" thing she'd done had been well over four moons ago, when she'd rescued Grasspaw from the owl- an act she hadn't even gotten that much recognition for, although of course everyone had been overjoyed when she came back. Sure, she'd been training for long enough, but why have her warrior ceremony now?

Wait… was this what Miststar had thought she'd been trying to tell him the previous day? No wonder he'd run off to talk to Foxfang, then! Waterpaw's mind reeled. How could the leader have misinterpreted her so badly? Of course she wanted to be a warrior, but she could have waited if it had meant Miststar finding out that Patchfur was breaking the warrior code!

"Waterpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Waterpaw meowed readily. Even if she hadn't expected to be made a warrior right then and there, that didn't mean she was going to object to any of this.

Miststar beamed. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," he meowed. "Waterpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Watersplash. StarClan honours your strength and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

He rested his muzzle on her forehead and she gave his shoulder a lick. As the crowd began to cheer her new name, Watersplash wondered for a moment if she'd been named for her dead brother, Splashkit. But then she saw Miststar exchange a glance with Foxfang and she realized without a doubt that she'd been named in honour of Lakesplash. It made sense; she'd died recently; she'd been the mate of her mentor- former mentor now, she realized with a pang of excitement- and besides, Watersplash's dead family members were never talked about, or even really acknowledged at all, for that matter.

"You'll have to sit vigil tonight, of course," Miststar told her as the cheers were dying down- which took a long time, because every cat loved Watersplash. She loved their praise, and to her delight, no cat had shouted louder than Minnowleap.

"That fine," she purred in response to the leader. "I don't mind sitting vigil."

Watersplash thought she could use a night alone with her thoughts. She just hoped those thoughts wouldn't drift too far across the border this time.

 _The waves leaped dauntingly high, reaching out for the petrified cat standing on the rock. They let out a shrill wail, jumping back as the highest wave yet crashed against the pillar of crumbling stone. "Save me!" they shrieked, ears pressed against their head._

 _"I'm trying to!" Grasstail called, grinding his jaws in frustration as he attempted to hold on to the slippery rock. He heard another wail from above. "Just hang on," he assured the cat on the rock. "I'm almost there!"_

 _He put one paw above the other, over and over again, but he kept sliding back down. Far, far, below him, the waters beckoned. He trained his vision on the cat he intended to rescue, but it was impossible to reach them. They kept on getting farther and farther away, and the waves kept getting higher-_

 _Suddenly lightning struck the pillar, lighting up the swirling gray sky so that Grasstail could just make out the figure of a second cat looming behind the first on the rock. He opened his jaws to warn them, but he was silenced by frothy white waves. Lakewater filled his mouth and he choked, slipping down the rocks toward the churning abyss of water._

 _"Don't fall!" the cat on the rock cried. "You have to save me!"_

 _Grasstail wanted to. He had to! But he couldn't! He pushed himself upward, letting go of the rock for just an instant- just as a giant wave swept over him, yanking him away. His last sight was of the cat on the rock, yowling in desperation and terror, as their last chance was pulled away from them._

"Brother!"

Grasstail was jolted awake with a harsh jab in the ribs. He looked up, his eyes taking a second to adjust to the darkness, to see Appleshine glaring at him. Her angry green eyes shone so brightly in the dark of night that it looked like they were white.

"You fell asleep," she hissed. "You know we're not supposed to fall asleep during vigil! That defeats the whole purpose!"

Shame heated Grasstail's cheeks and he ducked his head apologetically. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Good," Appleshine sniffed, straightening back up and returning to the oath of silence that the siblings had broken.

For a while Grasstail was pleased that his littermate hadn't escalated the matter into a full-blown argument. Then he narrowed his eyes and peered past Appleshine. Even in the dark, he could just make out the pale shape of Berryheart, her head drooping and her whiskers quivering slightly. At first Grasstail assumed she was just still depressed about Owlwing dying- no cat could have blamed her; so was he- but then she snored softly and he knew that wasn't the case.

"Hey," he meowed accusingly to Appleshine. " _She's_ asleep! Why not scold her?"

Appleshine took a moment to respond. When she did, her voice was completely flat. "She needs her sleep."

"What, and I don't?"

Appleshine's only reply was an indignant huff, and Grasstail knew he'd got her there. Not that it did any good, because she let Berryheart keep on sleeping. Whatever; it wasn't his problem if his sisters still acted like kits even now that they were warriors.

Now that they were all being quiet again, and Grasstail was making a renewed effort to stay awake- he had no idea why he'd fallen asleep earlier- he let his mind wander. He thought about how stupidly overprotective of Berryheart Appleshine could be sometimes; he thought about Owlwing, and wondered if she was watching him from StarClan; he thought about what he was going to do in the morning when it was going to be his first full day as a warrior.

He thought about his nightmare, and all the similar nightmares he'd had before it, although this time things had been different from how they normally were. Most of the time when he had those kinds of dreams, he was the only one in them up until the end. That was when the second cat would appear, their pelt dripping with water, staring at him as he sank. But who was this cat who'd been standing on the rock?

Maybe it was nothing. Maybe his dreams were just dreams. StarClan wouldn't want to send him visions after all. Even if Grasstail was a warrior now, he was still just an ordinary cat- not like…

He thought of waves gently lapping at the beach, the sands of which were still frozen from leaf-bare, scraping against his paws. He thought of a voice telling him to hang on; they were going to be fine. He thought of long, elegant blue-gray fur, sparkling blue eyes, and a fluffy white tail waving energetically in the air.

Grasstail tried not to think about her. But once the thoughts entered his mind, they just couldn't leave it. He hadn't seen Waterpaw in moons. The last time he'd seen her, he'd been horrible to her, and told her things he didn't mean. He wished he could just leave it at that forever, but he couldn't.

Ignoring Appleshine's whispered protests, he rose to his paws and walked out of the camp. His littermate ran after him for a few seconds but then stopped and went back to her post. Grasstail felt a pang of satisfaction; he guessed she didn't see the point in trying to stop him, and neither did he.

He was going to see the cat he'd promised himself to never see again.

Although sleepiness tugged at her, Watersplash kept herself awake through a combination of discipline and counting the stars. She'd gotten to a little over a hundred a couple times before skipping one or counting the same one twice or not being sure if something was a star or something else, and starting over again.

Watersplash knew she could never count every single star in the sky anyway. There was one star in Silverpelt for every cat who had ever died- or at least the ones who were still remembered by those who lived. Apparently when a cat had been forgotten by everyone, they faded away into total nonexistence. Waterpaw suppressed a shudder at the thought of ever being utterly forgotten like that. She hoped that after she did whatever amazing thing she was supposed to do, future generations would pass down stories of her accomplishments forever so she'd never fade away.

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance. Watersplash tensed up, recalling the time she'd been carried away by one of those terrifying nocturnal birds. Of course no such thing could happen to her now; she was a warrior now, and more or less fully grown. Maybe she'd still get a little bit bigger, but not by much. And besides, she assured herself, the owl that had hooted just then had sounded like a smaller species- nowhere near as big as the one that she'd fought before.

Even so, she remained slightly on edge, hoping it would stay away from the RiverClan camp. It hooted again and another owl responded from closer by, but still too far to pose a threat. Watersplash shifted her weight from side to side, training her eyes on Silverpelt and starting to count the stars over from one again.

It didn't take long to lose track once more. Trying and failing to hold back a giant yawn, Watersplash hoped that the sun would come up soon. She'd never really understood the point of sitting vigil anyway. The new warrior had already promised to defend the Clan with their life! What was sitting up all night and staying silent supposed to prove on top of that? But blah, blah, Clan traditions. No cat would catch her complaining.

Watersplash drank in the night air. On it were all the familiar scents that filled her nose every day. But there was something different this time- something there that wasn't supposed to be. It was barely detectable, as it was strongly masked by the smell of flowers, which was all the more concerning- somebody was trying to hide their scent! Too tired to identify the scent that clearly didn't belong, but was nonetheless a little too familiar, Watersplash rose from her post and started sniffing around. She knew she'd get her pelt chewed off if she was caught violating the vigil, but protecting her Clan from any potential attackers was more important than some dumb old-fashioned rules, right?

The little creek at the edge of the camp where she was sitting vigil had a clump of reeds next to it. On the other side of the creek were a patch of wildflowers that had been flattened out- this must have been what the intruder had rolled in to mask their smell. Well, it had been a good effort, but the wet pawprint on the stepping stone in the middle of the creek kind of gave them away. Drawing her lips back into a snarl, Watersplash dropped low to the ground and slowly crept toward the patch of reeds, her tail twitching.

The reeds rustled as she snarled, and a second later they parted and a cat bolted out, lunging at Watersplash with a hiss. She jumped back, batting them out of the air and pinning them down. It was too dark to see them properly, but as they pelted her underbelly with a series of kicks, her mind finally made the connection between the flower-masked scent and the cat struggling beneath her.

Watersplash let go, watching the other cat's narrowed green eyes widen in surprise that then became recognition. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, so did hers, and she realized with a jolt how much her old friend had grown.

"Grasspaw?" Watersplash's voice came out sounding like a question, the answer to which she searched for in his face. He lowered his head, obscuring those answers from her, before replying.

"It's Grasstail now, actually," he muttered, scuffing his paws awkwardly in the dirt. Then he locked eyes with Watersplash. "I came to see you."

Watersplash wasn't sure what the best response would be. An amused _"I can see that"_? A confused _"But why?"_? Or should her response be angry after such a long time with no contact between him, after he'd left her with a claim that he wanted nothing to do with her?

Finally, she settled on something simple. An exchange of facts, like what might transpire between two friendly acquaintances at a Gathering. "It's great that you're a warrior now," she meowed. "So am I. I just had my ceremony today."

"Shouldn't you be on your vigil, then?" Grasstail asked.

"…I am," Watersplash confessed. "You turning up kind of forced me to break it," she added with an accusing glance at him. "So you really shouldn't be the one to bring it up if you're just going to… um… be the one who made it…" she trailed off into a mumble. Watersplash was usually pretty good with words, but tonight must have been an exception.

Grasstail held her with an unreadable expression for just a little too long before admitting, "I'm supposed to be sitting vigil as well. My littermates and I all just became warriors today, too- or should I say yesterday, since it's past moonhigh?"

"It's past moonhigh?" Watersplash looked up at the sky. The moon did indeed seem to be sitting a bit lower in the sky than the last time she'd looked up. "Huh. Guess you're right."

They looked at each other for a few more awkward moments, bound by silence and things unsaid. Then Grasstail spoke up again. "So, what's your warrior name?"

"Watersplash."

"Nice." Grasstail gave her a shy smile, and Watersplash's heart started to pound. She didn't understand why; they'd only been friends before, and now they weren't even that. She had no idea what Grasstail was trying to pull here, and she hoped he'd explain himself before she lost her generous supply of patience. "It's a very pretty name," the WindClan tom continued, dropping his gaze to his shuffling paws. "It suits you."

"Your name suits you, too," Watersplash blurted before she could stop herself. She wanted to clamp her tail over her mouth. What was she doing?! She had to stop encouraging this!

"Thanks," Grasstail murmured. He lifted his gaze back up to Watersplash, and she was taken aback by the beauty of his eyes. "Your name is better, though."

Watersplash shrugged, trying to seem casual. Inwardly, she was panicking. She forced her breathing to stay steady, but it was quite the arduous task. Grasstail took a couple steps closer to her, regarding her wistfully. She yanked her gaze away from his eyes before she could lose herself in them.

"What do you want?"

She hoped the question hadn't come out sounding too harsh, but judging from Grasstail's reaction, it had. Watersplash felt a pang of guilt, but she ignored it. As much as she liked him- even now after all that had happened between them-, Grasstail couldn't just march right out of her life and then march right back in again more than a season later!

The greenish-gray tom hesitated, looking away when he finally said, "I needed to see you again."

Desperation filled Watersplash- desperation for an answer; desperation for a reason; desperation for an excuse to do what she wanted to do more than anything else- as she spoke. "But why did you want to see me?!"

Grasstail ground his jaw a bit and moved his tongue around the corners of his mouth before he answered. Watersplash could tell he was thinking hard about his answer- was he choosing his words carefully to best reflect how he felt, or was he just trying to concoct some half-hearted apology?

But all her doubts vanished as soon as he spoke. "I didn't just want to see you. I _needed_ to see you," Grasstail explained. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Watersplash's heart started pounding again. She was certain that Grasstail could hear it pounding against her ribcage. "Because…" He gulped, and Watersplash could have sworn she could see him blushing under his fur. "Because I like you better than any cat in my own Clan, and I didn't mean it whatsoever when I said I didn't want to be with you, and even if you only ever want to be friends, I still want that more than anything else as long as it's you."

Once he was finished, he took a few deep breaths, staggering a bit as if he couldn't even believe what he'd just said. Watersplash could scarcely believe it either, but deep down inside she knew she wanted to. She knew she could trust Grasstail with her friendship, with her heart, with her life.

"I'm so happy you want to be friends again," she purred, moving in to nuzzle Grasstail's chest. She had to stoop down a little to do it, but she didn't mind. He looked so adorably flustered when she did it that she moved up to his shoulder, tilting her head up to give his muzzle a lick.

"I'm gonna have to go back home before the sun comes up, but I want to see you again soon," Grasstail murmured, giving Watersplash an affectionate forehead lick. "Meet me at the lake tomorrow night- where we met up that one time, you remember?"

Watersplash nodded. "I can't wait," she purred.

Grasstail drew away, blinking slowly at her once before turning away and disappearing into the reeds. Watersplash was left with a pounding heart and a broken vigil, both of which she could blame on him.


	20. Chapter 20

Grasstail plodded back into the WindClan camp feeling giddy and overtired. He took his place beside his littermates once more; Appleshine fixed him with a harsh glare but said nothing, observing the vigil despite having broken it herself earlier in the night. This time around Grasstail had no problem staying awake. His mind was buzzing with thoughts of Watersplash. He'd finally gotten to see her again… and she still liked him!

Once dawn finally arrived and a few of their Clanmates began to wake up, Sandstar came over to them and told them their vigil was complete. As soon as the words had left the leader's mouth, Grasstail went off to rest, heading for the apprentices' den out of habit before remembering with an excited jolt that he was a warrior now. He corrected his course and padded into the warriors' den for the first time, making his new nest next to Seedpelt's. They hadn't shared a den since before Grasstail could remember, so it would be great to finally be able to sleep in the same place as his friend.

A few hours of peaceful, undisturbed sleep later, he woke up feeling refreshed and lively. Grasstail tried to make himself useful that day, as it was his first full day as a warrior. After their ceremony the previous day, he and his littermates hadn't done much other than join one or two patrols upon being asked. But today Grasstail was going to give everything his all! The thought of seeing Watersplash again that night motivated him. He had to do a lot of cool things today so he could brag to her when they met by the lake!

"You certainly seem lively today," Seedpelt remarked when they were on a border patrol together. "Still over the moon about becoming a warrior?"

It was partially true, but that wasn't half the reason Grasstail was so happy. He couldn't tell his friend the real reason, though, so he went with the first explanation. "You could day that," he purred with a flick of his ears.

Seedpelt nodded thoughtfully. "Y'know, I'm glad to see you're doing okay," he commented as they approached the border line along the lake. "I mean, if I'd lost one of my close kin, I don't know if I'd be doing this well."

"Yeah, well." Suddenly sobered, Grasstail averted his eyes from Seedpelt. "I guess I've had a lot of other stuff to think about."

It was true that the death of Owlwing still weighed heavy on his mind. He'd been trying to distract himself from it, though, and for the most part he'd succeeded. From his warrior ceremony to sneaking off to see Watersplash to their plans to meet again that night, life had given Grasstail a lot of distractions, and he'd given himself plenty too. With all these other good things that were happening, losing his mother seemed like an almost inconsequential event, almost like it hadn't even happened. If he hadn't known better, he could have imagined her still being there, waiting for him back at camp.

Although it was totally illogical, since she wouldn't have been there even if she were still alive, Grasstail pictured walking into the nursery and seeing Owlwing there, her tail curled protectively around his littermates. He imagined coming in from a long day of playing outside with his friends, tearing around the WindClan camp with no regard for other cats- barging into Runningfoot as he made his way to the fresh-kill pile, darting between Gorsewind's legs, almost tripping over Rabbitleap's paws, and then having his father fix him with a stern glance before breaking into laughter and hoisting him up onto his back for a badger ride.

It was kind of odd that Grasstail found himself imagining all these things, because he hadn't been like that at all as a kit. He'd always stayed inside the nursery moping around, waiting for the day when he could venture outside of camp on his own. The only cat who could convince him to leave was Seedpelt, and Grasstail remembered how well that had gone. At least some good had come out of that disastrous day when theyd gone sliding on the frozen lake. It had been the day Grasstail and Watersplash had first met.

The patrol reached the lake and walked along the border, checking for any signs of suspicious activity but not finding any. "Nothing unusual going on here," remarked Lilyflower, who was leading the patrol. Her health had picked up recently with the warm season, but she was certain that it would only take until leaf-fall for her health to relapse back into chronic illness.

Grasstail couldn't imagine what it would be like to live like that- always on the brink of succumbing to some sickness. She sure was lucky to have such a helpful and caring mate in Runningfoot.

The delicate white she-cat flicked her tail. "Nothing to see here. Let's go."

As they made their way back, Seedpelt seemed to be examining Lilyflower very closely. Grasstail wondered what he was looking at, so he leaned over to ask.

"What are you looking at Lilyflower for?" he muttered into his friend's ear, keeping his voice down so she wouldn't overhear. "Is there something different about her today?"

"I'll tell you," Seedpelt whispered, dropping his pace so that he could maintain eye contact with Grasstail. "But you have to promise not to tell any cat, because I don't know for sure and I don't want to start any rumours."

Grasstail furrowed his brow. "What is it? Is she having an affair or something?" It didn't seem likely, but he didn't understand the way Seedpelt was behaving.

"What?! Great StarClan, no!" Seedpelt's whiskers twitched in amusement. Then he leaned in to whisper into Grasstail's ear, "I think she might be pregnant."

Was that all?! Grasstail stared at his friend in surprise. Someone expecting kits was good news for the Clan, especially since the nursery had been empty for moons and WindClan's low numbers had to be replenished, but was it really something that had to be whispered? It wasn't like it was some big secret that Lilyflower and Runningfoot were mates, and that they did the same things as any other mates would do.

"What was all the whispering and secrecy for?" he asked, voicing his confusion. "I mean, it's cool and all, but it's not like it's a big deal or anything."

"What are you meowing about? Of course it's a big deal!" Seedpelt lashed his tail in frustration- or maybe it was excitement; Grasstail couldn't really tell. "If she does have kits, they'll be the first kits born in WindClan since… well, since you and your littermates! Do you have any idea how much our Clan needs this right now?!"

Grasstail supposed he had a point. Still, it seemed dumb to make such a big deal out of it. "Just kept your muzzle shut about it, okay?" he muttered. "Like you said, you don't even know for sure. Just wait a couple weeks and then you'll be able to tell whether she is or not."

"Of course I'll keep quiet about it," Seedpelt agreed. "I only told you 'cause you asked why I was looking at her."

Seedpelt made Grasstail promise to keep quiet about it as well, but the sleek brown tom hadn't really had much to worry about. Grasstail had other things to think about- and he preferred to keep it that way.

"Birchstripe says their parents are super nice and accepting of them, but not every cat is, so it's like every day is a constant struggle," Patchfur rambled as he sharpened his claws on a boulder. "A lot of cats still refer to them like they're a she-cat even though they're not. Can you imagine if some cat did that to you? Like if every cat insisted on calling you a tom. That would be weird, wouldn't it? Why can't they just accept Birchstripe as who they are?"

"I don't know," Watersplash muttered. She stretched, extending her body over the curve of the boulder she lay on so that her hind legs were less than a mouse-length from the ground and the tips of her ears were brushed by the current of the river. She then rolled over onto her stomach, extending her front legs and dipping her paws into the cool water.

Patchfur flicked his ear in annoyance. "I get the feeling you're not really listening to me."

Watersplash held back a yawn as she rolled over again, sitting up and rolling off the boulder. She landed neatly on her paws on the pebbly ground, leaving wet pawprints where her front paws landed. "Oh, I'm listening," she assured Patchfur. _I just don't care_ , she added in her mind.

"You don't look like you're listening."

"I am," she insisted. "Test me," she added when her friend still didn't look convinced.

"Okay, fine." Patchfur took his claws off the boulder he'd been sharpening them on and sat down across from Watersplash, looking at her steadily. "What's Birchstripe's favourite food?"

Watersplash wanted to claw her own eyes out. Why was this even a thing that she needed to know?! Even though she'd been the one to suggest the quiz game, it still aggravated her that her friend had told her so many bits of pointless information about his out-of-Clan "mate".

"Lizards," she answered.

Patchfur nodded; clearly even he was impressed that Watersplash had bothered to remember that. "Very good; next question: do they have any littermates?"

"Um… yeah." Every cat had littermates, right? Other than her, of course, but she'd had them once…

"How many?"

Watersplash sighed. She must have been totally zoned out when Patchfur had told her that. That had probably been a good thing; Watersplash had always found her own thoughts far more interesting than anything Patchfur could tell her about his misguided love.

"Two," she guessed. Three kits seemed like a fairly average litter size.

Patchfur shook his head. "Wrong," he meowed. "They've got one littermate. I've never met him, but they've told me a bit about him."

Watersplash sighed again, deeper this time. "Whatever," she muttered. "Can we just go back to camp already?"

"Why would you ever want to do that?" Patchfur jumped up on another rock- the one that Watersplash had been sunbathing on- and made a great show of stretching out, complete with a very forced yawn. "It's gorgeous out," he meowed with a nod to the sun. "Why stay cooped up in camp when we can enjoy it?"

"Yeah, but-"

"No yeah, buts!" Patchfur jumped down from the rock and made a little _tsk, tsk_ sound. "Greenleaf isn't gonna last forever!"

Watersplash supposed he was right. Even so, his reasoning didn't really hold up with her. They were still young; there'd be plenty more greenleafs for them to enjoy! And there were plenty more days left of this greenleaf, too. Not all of them would be nearly as nice as this one, of course, but they'd already been out here for quite some time, and it was already late afternoon. Watersplash worried that Patchfur would keep her out here into the night if he could, keeping her away from seeing Grasstail. She knew it was a silly, irrational fear, but sneaking out of camp was bound to be hard enough on its own, and Patchfur's insistence on staying put only added to her anxiety.

Even so, there was no harm in enjoying the riverside for a while longer. After all, Watersplash was a warrior now. She could do what she wanted. And, she supposed, so could Patchfur. He was more or less an adult cat now, although he somehow didn't seem it to her.

Needless to say, Watersplash still hadn't reported Patchfur's violations of the warrior code to Sandstar. She still intended to do it eventually, but it seemed a bit hypocritical now that she'd be running out to see Grasstail that night. That was different, of course- they were only friends! But it was the same principle.

And besides, Watersplash got the feeling that Grasstail hoped to be more than friends someday. She just wondered if she would ever figure out how she felt about all that- and whether to take him up on it.

The sun went down late in greenleaf, and cats tended to stay up with the sun. Grasstail didn't feel confident leaving camp until he was sure everyone else was asleep. So far Appleshine had seemed fairly passive about his occasional disappearances, but two nights in a row? She'd get too suspicious to stand idly by. And if Appleshine found out about him and Watersplash, StarClan knew she'd tell the whole Clan.

The same probably went for Berryheart, but he didn't need to worry about her. She fell asleep the moment her head hit the nest. To Grasstail's surprise, Appleshine actually fell asleep fairly quickly too for once. It made decent sense when he thought about it- she'd worked hard too today. But being a warrior was both a blessing and a curse, because now Grasstail had to wait for several other cats to fall asleep as well before he could sneak out.

This was in particular with Spikeear, who kept chatting with Runningfoot well into the night. Grasstail envied the brothers' closeness at times, but he was perfectly happy hating his littermates. If they had a closer bond, he might have a harder time sneaking around like this.

Grasstail's pelt itched to move, and Spikeear clearly wasn't going to shut up and go to sleep anytime soon. He figured that if he kept Watersplash waiting for too long, she'd probably give up on him and go home. He didn't want to risk that.

"I'm going for a walk," he announced, standing up. He could have used the old dirtplace lie, but he knew he'd take way too long for that claim to hold up. With any luck Spikeear and Runningfoot would have fallen asleep by then, but it was better to make it clear that he was going to be gone for a while.

In the nest next to his, Seedpelt stirred and grumbled. "You don't have to tell the whole Clan," he mumbled sleepily. Then he rolled over so he was facing away from Grasstail, which was just as well. He had nothing to do with anything that was going on between Grasstail and Watersplash- even if he had been the reason they'd met- and it was better that he never found out anything about the matter. Being disinterested in where Grasstail was going that night was a good sign that he wouldn't pry into things too much and find out.

Grasstail scanned the camp for any cats who were awake, but he didn't see anyone. He was pretty sure Rabbitleap was supposed to be on guard, but he didn't see him anywhere, so maybe he was taking a break or something. As soon as he was sure no cat was watching, Grasstail left camp and made a dash for the lake.

The pale sliver of the moon was barely visible in the night sky, but the stars must have been shining even more brightly than usual, because Grasstail recognized Watersplash as soon as he saw her outlined against the glassy surface of the lake. Or maybe she just had her own light radiating from her soul outwards that lit up the dark. Either way, he could see the way her pelt shimmered when she turned around to look at him as clearly as if it was daytime.

"You're here," she purred; the sound made Grasstail's heart melt in an instant. She bounded over to him and gave his cheek a friendly lick. His whickers tingled at the touch of her dainty tongue.

Looking at Watersplash's vibrant eyes made Grasstail want to tell her a million things, but most of all how he really felt about her. He suspected she already knew that he was in love with her, but just in case she didn't, he thought he should tell her now so he wouldn't let his fantasies run away with him for too long and then get hurt later on down the line.

He opened his muzzle to tell her, but stopped. This wasn't the right time, or even really the right place. Tonight they were childhood friends meeting up again for the first time in a while- the second time, technically, but this was the first proper time. The previous night had been scarcely more than a glimpse of each other and an exchange of a few key words. This time they had all the time in the world for each other, and Grasstail wasn't going to ruin it by saying the wrong thing right off the bat.

"Sorry I took so long to get here," he murmured, lowering his head so that it rested under Watersplash's chin. "I didn't expect my Clanmates to stay up so late."

"It's fine," Watersplash assured him. "I was only here for a couple minutes before you got here. My Clanmates took a long time getting settled down too."

Grasstail stuck out his paw and rested it gently on top of hers. "Well, now that we're both here, let's have some fun."

"Agreed," Watersplash meowed. She licked his forehead and he ducked his head lower, hesitating for a moment and wondering if it was okay before giving her a lick on her chest. She purred, ducking down to give him a playful headbutt. He responded with a gentle nudge.

Her whiskers quivering with amusement, Watersplash pretended to nip at Grasstail's ear. A purr rumbled in his throat; he stood up on his hind legs and Watersplash put on a fake-scared look, batting her eyes and crouching down to look like a prey animal. "I'm gonna get you!" Grasstail yowled jokingly, pouncing on her with claws sheathed and tackling her to the ground. She rolled around with him there, letting him get the upper paw several times before rolling them over so she was on top.

Watersplash was a great play-fighter, which probably meant she was a good real fighter, too. Judging by how proud she was of herself, she must have been. Grasstail hoped he could one day be half as good as she was.

He recalled the way she'd fought off the rogue that had attacked them while they'd been trying to get back to the lake territories. He'd blacked out before the fight had ended, and Watersplash hadn't talked about it afterward, but the fact that they'd survived made him assume she'd sent him away with a couple sore spots.

Now, as Watersplash pinned Grasstail down and waited for him to throw her off, he granted her wish by slithering out from underneath her and taking off running along the edge of the lake. She followed after him, catching up and cutting him off. He ducked underneath her again, but she caught him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up like a kit. When she craned her neck up a little, she could actually lift his paws a couple whisker-lengths off the ground. He flailed his paws a little and Watersplash dropped him, giggling.

"You're strong," Grasstail purred.

Watersplash gazed at him with a particular look that made Grasstail tingle from ears to tail-tip. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, but he hoped it was what he thought, because otherwise he didn't know what he was going to do.

He took a step closer to her, maintaining eye contact. He hoped to convey his questions with his face. It must have worked, because Watersplash nodded, coming closer to Grasstail so that their whiskers brushed and he could feel her soft, warm breath on his cheek.

A few silent moments passed and then Grasstail pressed his muzzle lightly against hers. She purred, licking his muzzle and drawing her tongue around the bottom so that it travelled over Grasstail's fangs. He moved his tail so that it lay at his paws, and she wrapped hers around his as soon as it was in reach. Their tails twisted together, intertwining as Grasstail's purr deepened. He buried his face in Watersplash's chest fur and drew in a long breath of her scent, and when he pulled away he gave her a lick on the neck.

She shuddered, and for a moment Grasstail was afraid he'd done something she hadn't liked, but then she rested her head on his muzzle, covering the top of his head in licks. Grasstail felt as if he could burst from happiness at being with Watersplash. This was everything he'd dreamed of for the past four moons and more.

"I love you," he breathed before he could stop himself and think about the weight of those words. But he didn't have to think about them, because he meant them. He meant them more than he'd ever meant anything.

Watersplash let out a faint gasp and drew away, blinking at Grasstail. She was clearly stunned by his confession, and he couldn't blame her. He was pretty stunned by his own words. But he meant them; he knew that for certain. All that mattered now was how Watersplash would take that confession.

To his relief, she took it well. "I figured as much," she murmured, coming in closer again. Her breath filled Grasstail's ear, echoing and filling it up with steam- or at least that was how it felt. His other ear twitched and he shuddered involuntarily.

He waited until Watersplash had drawn away again to ask, "So do you love me too?"

"Yeah," she meowed, sounding shocked by her own words. "I think I do."

Nothing could ever have made Grasstail happier. He pressed his muzzle against Watersplash's while they intertwined their tails, green-gray against blue-gray, their only witness the stars.


	21. Chapter 21

With a heavy sigh, Watersplash sank into her nest, her exhalation stirring its contents. A few stray feathers floated a couple whisker-lengths above the ground, settling again within a few seconds in slightly different positions. It was little changes like these that Watersplash noticed the most- the most minute differences were the ones it was hardest to control. It could be something as small as a few feathers out of place in her nest, or as simple as a couple of leaves that were already starting to change colour, or as quick as a single sentence that changed an entire relationship.

It had been half a moon since her reconciliation with Grasstail- and the revelation on the night that had followed. She still couldn't believe he'd told her he loved her. She'd had the feeling he felt that way, but she hadn't thought he'd be so bold as to tell her up-front- at least not yet. And she'd had no idea that she could have felt the same way, but as soon as the words had left her mouth, quicker than she'd known what she was saying, she'd realized that she meant it. Or at least she was pretty sure she did. She'd never had those kinds of feelings before, and it was hard to know what was going on.

Now that the truth was out in the open, Watersplash had expected everything to suddenly change between them. But the scariest thing about all this was that it hadn't. Everything about the way they acted around each other had stayed exactly the same.

One thing that definitely had changed was how frequently the two young cats spent time together. As apprentices, they'd only ever met up intentionally once- at a Gathering that felt so long ago now. And even then it hadn't exactly been her intention to meet him there; he'd just come running up to her and she'd happened to recognize him. All the other times they'd crossed paths- when they first met, when they'd found each other by the lake after Grasstail found out the prophecy, that night when the owl carried them off- had all been accidents. Even when he'd told her that he didn't want them to see each other anymore, Grasstail hadn't suck Watersplash out to tell her so. He'd simply stumbled across her and told her what had been on his mind. But now that they were warriors, things were different.

Upon receiving her status as a warrior, Watersplash's world had changed along with her name. She now had freedom and responsibility the likes of which she could have only dreamed of before. It was much the same as going from a kit to a 'paw had been. However, even that wasn't really a good comparison, because Watersplash's "special" status had led to her having more freedom than other kits. Minnowleap had often let her wander around wherever she wanted, sometimes even escorting her outside of camp. It was fuzzy, but Watersplash could have sworn she even remembered being taken to a Gathering once as a kit so Minnowleap could show her off to the other Clans. All that had changed after Splashkit had died, of course- her mother had become understandably terrified of losing her only remaining kit, and restricted her to the RiverClan camp. It was somewhat ironic that it had taken the death of a littermate for Watersplash to have been treated like an ordinary kit.

Kithood experiences aside, now that she was a warrior, it was far easier for Watersplash to leave camp whenever she wished. All she had to do was tell Miststar that she was going for a walk, or going hunting alone, and he'd simply nod and tell her to go ahead. Then, as long as she was back within a certain time, she could simply take a walk by herself like she'd said- or she could meet with Grasstail. She just had to make sure to actually catch something when she said she was going hunting, because she was too skilled for her Clanmates to believe her story if she came back empty-pawed.

Watersplash and Grasstail had met up on five separate occasions since becoming warriors- six counting the night of their vigils, but Watersplash still felt so bad about breaking the sacred laws of the vigil that she tried to pretend it hadn't happened. Other than that, while not all of their meet-ups had been planned, enough of them had been to make it all feel very different from when they were younger.

First there had been the night by the lake, then an unplanned encounter when they had both been on a border patrol at the same time and had almost turned into a border skirmish (Watersplash had managed to calm everyone down, and although she and Grasstail had only been able to look at each other that time, he'd given her a glance that had sent a chill down her spine). Next had been the night of a very special Gathering. Watersplash and Grasstail had gotten themselves alone together, and though it had taken a bit of work to do so, it was well worth it. After that, they'd arranged to meet at the border in the morning a few days later- a plan which had come to fruition in twenty minutes of pure bliss. Last but certainly not least had come the outing that Watersplash had just returned from, slogging into camp with her head still spinning and a dumb, love-struck smile plastered on her muzzle.

They'd met on the island where Gatherings were held; Grasstail had tried to show off while crossing the log and had almost fallen in, but had regained his balance right after Watersplash had rushed to his side. They'd spent the night chasing each other around the clearing, talking about their lives, looking out at the lake, and trying to climb the great oak while wondering how ThunderClan cats managed to make tree-climbing look so easy. Watersplash hoped she'd get the method down before she became leader, if such a thing were ever to happen. She'd never really thought about her future that much outside of the prophecy, but having a relationship like the one she was developing with Grasstail opened her eyes up to a new world of possibilities outside of simply fulfilling her destiny.

Now, as she lay in her nest and contemplated what she'd do next, Watersplash was disturbed by movement next to her. She rolled over to see Beavertail, an older tom she'd never cared much for, sitting up and scratching himself. As great as being a warrior was, it came with its fair share of drawbacks, and one of those was definitely having to share a den with more cats.

When moving into the warriors' den, it had come to Watersplash's attention just how few of her Clanmates she actually knew. To make matters worse, the only bit of available space was next to Foxfang- where Lakesplash's nest had used to be. Watersplash would have rather died than have to sleep next to her former mentor, and in the spot where his dead mate used to sleep, no less! Luckily, a few warriors had shuffled their positions around and she'd wound up next to Smokefur and Patchfur. Not so luckily, she'd also ended up with her nest in close proximity to that of their father and her somewhat estranged uncle, Beavertail.

With a yawn, Beavertail gave Watersplash his signature squinty half-smile that was part of the reason she wasn't crazy about him. "Good morning," he meowed. "I must say, it's unusual for you to still be asleep by now."

"Mmn." While it was true that she was an early riser, it was barely past sunrise, and she seriously needed a bit of rest after her night out with Grasstail. Their relationship was fun but taxing. "Lemme sleep."

"I won't stop you," Beavertail muttered as he lumbered outside. Watersplash was glad to be left alone. It looked like Smokefur had already gotten up, and surprisingly enough, so had Patchfur. She was momentarily impressed by her cousin's uncharacteristically early rising until she realized that he'd probably been out all night with Birchstripe. While she still didn't approve of the relationship, she was no longer any cat to talk, so she'd decided not to tell Miststar after all.

Watersplash closed her eyes and sank deeper into her nest. She seriously needed some sleep.

"This is so unfair," Grasstail grumbled, poking disdainfully at a clump of heather. "We're warriors now! How come we still have to do apprentice tasks?"

"Well, there are no apprentices in WindClan right now," Appleshine sighed. "We're the next best thing, I guess."

"Whatever." Grasstail knew his sister was right, but it still annoyed him that he was stuck fetching water for Gorsewind while Seedpelt and Barkstripe got to go on a hunting patrol. Just because they were the youngest warriors didn't mean they weren't equally mature as any other cat!

 _Then again_ , he thought bitterly with a glance at Berryheart, who was frisking around in the meadow like she didn't have work to do, _maybe some of us are less mature than others._

At least the task of fetching water would require them to go down to the lake. It was highly unlikely he'd run into any RiverClan cats down there, let alone Watersplash, but just being by the lake in general had been almost a surefire way to improve Grasstail's mood lately. Although they never met too far into one another's territories so as not to arouse suspicion, it was still nice to look out at the water and remember their rendezvous of a few nights ago.

Appleshine must have noticed the far-off look in his eyes. She gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs that could have been interpreted as playful were it not for her inquisitive stare. "Uh, what's with the daydreamy look?" she demanded, keeping her voice low- probably so Berryheart wouldn't overhear. "You got something going on in your life that I don't know about?"

"No," Grasstail answered immediately. Appleshine was always prying into his personal business, and Seedpelt was nearly as bad as her. At least he'd generally be the one to change the topic when Grasstail didn't give him the answer he was looking for, though. Appleshine was more persistent- annoyingly persistent. If Grasstail wasn't careful, he worried she might find out about him and Watersplash one of these days.

"Are you sure about that?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "If I didn't know better," she added, "I'd say you were in love!"

Grasstail gulped, picking up his pace. The sooner they got to their destination and completed their dumb task, the better. He kept his gaze fixed ahead of him as he walked so she couldn't read too much into his face.

But Appleshine wasn't going to back down that easily. She picked up her pace too, catching up with him and running ahead of him to block him off. Grasstail tried to move around her; he had no time for these rabbit-brained games! But Appleshine was a stubborn one. She blocked off his attempts to move around her, even going so far as to bare her fangs at him. Spooked, Grasstail gave up and told her at least part of the truth. He sat down, lashing his tail, and she sat as well, an eager look about her. No doubt she couldn't wait to gossip to the whole Clan about his scandalous relationship.

"Okay, fine, there's a cat I like," he muttered, letting a snarl creep into his words so Appleshine would know how irritated he was. "But she's in a different Clan, so it doesn't even matter, okay?!"

Appleshine did not look convinced. "So what you're saying is it's totally one-sided?" she meowed.

Grasstail nodded slowly. He reflected that it was a good thing Watersplash had no littermates; he doubted she'd have the heart to lie to them like he did.

Still looking sceptical, Appleshine opened her muzzle to pry further, but she stopped when Berryheart came padding up to them, her eyes wide and inquisitive. "What are you guys talking about?" she meowed. Grasstail and Appleshine exchanged a glance; neither of them said anything to Berryheart, but Appleshine shot him a look that said _we'll talk about this later._

Although she didn't bring it up again, Appleshine kept shooting suspicious glances at Grasstail for the rest of the day. He tried not to pay her any mind- she had no proof of anything! But guilt wormed in his belly nonetheless. What had he gotten himself into?

By the time Watersplash finally roused herself, the sun was high in the sky. She went outside to greet the day, shame heating her pelt as she observed her Clanmates' silent but judgemental reactions to her getting up so late. She selected half a fish that hadn't been eaten the previous night from the fresh-kill pile and ate it in a few quick bites.

As she gulped down her fish, her eyes flickered upward and she noticed Miststar sitting at the base of the Shale Hill. He was deep in discussion with the deputy, Graysmoke; they both had grim expressions on their faces. Watersplash gulped; she had hoped she'd be able to make up for sleeping late by joining a patrol, but it looked like she'd have to wait, as the deputy was clearly preoccupied. She wondered what they were talking about.

Miststar must have seen Watersplash looking at him, because his ears pricked and he sternly met her gaze. She could tell that what they were discussing wasn't meant for her ears, so she looked away, instead casting her gaze around the camp to see if her friends were there.

It was then that Watersplash realized something was wrong. Cats gathered in clusters, heads close together, whispering to each other with bristling pelts. She padded over toward Minnowleap, who was over by the nursery having a chat with Storkflight as the latter's kits frisked around them. Maybe her mother would have something to say about what was going on.

Minnowleap's eyes lit up as soon as she saw Watersplash. "Oh, thank StarClan you're finally up," she cried, taking Watersplash by surprise by rushing up to give her a flurry of fearful licks. Then she drew away as quickly as she'd come in, her eyes round and questioning. "Tell me, do you know anything about any of this?"

Watersplash was confused. "What are you meowing about?" she asked, regarding her mother curiously. Dread began to settle in her belly as she saw how distressed Minnowleap looked. Could she have found out about Grasstail somehow?! Storkflight seemed worried as well, although it didn't look like Watersplash was the cat she was worried about.

"Oh, it's terrible," Minnowleap tittered, sounding like one of the songbirds that would fill the forest with their sounds every morning. "Haven't you heard?!"

Watersplash admitted that she hadn't. "What's going on?" she pressed, beginning to feel frustrated by Minnowleap's vagueness. "Just tell me!" She knew she was being rude, but she wished her mother would just get to the point. She loved her, really, but her theatrics were tedious at times.

Minnowleap simply shook her head and went back to pacing. She chewed on her lower lip as she paced; her silky tail swished as she shuffled back and forth. Watersplash dug her claws into the ground, holding back her irritation and forcing her fur to lie flat. If she snapped at her mother, it would probably earn her a good swipe across the nose.

"It's nothing you have to worry about," she muttered finally. She leaned in to give Watersplash a reassuring nuzzle, but it felt cold and distant, as it often did when Minnowleap was trying to hide a bad mood. "All that matters is that _you're_ okay. Just go play with your friends, okay?" she added, whisking her tail across the rocks and sending a tiny cloud of dust up into Watersplash's nose. She sneezed, and Minnowleap mumbled a half-apology before practically bounding over to a group of senior warriors and joining their conversation.

Puzzled, Watersplash turned to Storkflight, who thankfully spoke up in Minnowleap's stead. "It's your cousin Patchfur," she supplied, giving Watersplash a soft, sympathetic look.

It was the same look she'd given Foxfang when Lakesplash had died and she'd offered to take in her surviving kit. That look alone made Watersplash's heart skip a couple of beats- had they found out about his relationship with Birchstripe? Maybe he'd bragged about them to the wrong cat by accident and the word had gotten out. And if that secret relationship was public knowledge, how long would it be before some cat found out about her and Grasstail?

But Watersplash didn't have to worry about that- at least not just then. She definitely did have something to worry about, though.

"What about Patchfur?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer- especially once she realized she hadn't seen him in camp.

"…He's gone missing," Storkflight confessed. There was that sympathetic look again- and suddenly it made a lot more sense. "No cat has seen him since last night. We sent out a patrol to search for him this morning, but they still haven't come back."

"What?!" Watersplash scanned the camp, desperately searching for Patchfur's familiar black-and-white pelt despite common sense telling her he wouldn't be there. Storkflight would have no reason to lie about something like this.

With a sinking feeling, Watersplash recalled Patchfur's empty nest earlier that morning. She'd assumed that he'd simply been out meeting with Birchstripe- and her guess had probably been right. The only thing she hadn't counted on was him not returning to camp by sunrise. Now that she thought about it, she could have sworn she remembered Patchfur saying something about wanting to run away with Birchstripe. She'd never thought he'd actually go through with it! Patchfur said all kinds of dumb things about the cats he was infatuated with, and none of the things he said ever came to pass.

 _But he's not just infatuated this time,_ she reminded herself, the swirling dread that filled her mind settling down in the pit of her stomach. _This time he's in love._


	22. Chapter 22

Grasstail poked his head into the elders' den, concerned when he was met with the faint tang of sickness. Gorsewind was stretched out on a pile of strewn heather, sticks, and feathers that had at one point made up a nest. Grasstail supposed he might as well remake the den for the elder while he was there; he wrinkled his nose at the prospect, but he guessed it was what Sandstar would have told him to do.

"Hey," he mumbled around the mound of water-soaked moss in his mouth. "I've brought you some more water."

At first Gorsewind didn't reply, and alarm spiked through Grasstail as he observed how still the old cat was lying. His worry diminished when he saw the slow but steady rise and fall of Gorsewind's chest, but it didn't disappear altogether- even if the elder was alive, he didn't look very healthy. Grasstail quickly padded to his side, laying down his moss.

"Gorsewind, I got some water here for you," Grasstail meowed, stooping down so his muzzle was near Gorsewind's ear and speaking more loudly than usual so the elder would hear him. He pushed the moss forward with his paw, rolling it right up to Gorsewind's muzzle. "Lap at this moss if you're thirsty, okay?"

There was still no reply. Grasstail wasn't even sure if Gorsewind could hear him or not; although his eyes were half-open, his pale eyes were glazed, and it looked as though he was asleep. It wasn't too surprising- elders did tend to sleep a lot once they got to Gorsewind's age. But combined with the scent of sickness that lingered in the den, Grasstail feared for the elder's health. He sniffed around for any vomit on the floor, and while he did find a few ambiguous stains on the trampled brown grass, he couldn't find any solid evidence that the elder was ill- and even if he was, it wasn't really Grasstail's concern, was it? Even so, he decided to inform Podtail about his concerns when he had the time.

He doubted he'd find the time, though. He had plans for that night- he and Watersplash were going to meet up by the lake again. It would be the ninth time they'd get together since becoming warriors, and Grasstail was determined to make it the best, especially since it would be the one-moon anniversary of their reconciliation. A cat as special as Watersplash- both in terms of destiny and in terms of how special she was to him- deserved only the absolute best, and if Grasstail didn't give that to her, then he'd be a poor… whatever he was to her right now. More than a friend, but less than a mate. Grasstail was often frustrated that there wasn't a proper word for that.

With Watersplash on his mind, Grasstail turned to leave the elders' den. Gorsewind would be able to figure out what to do with the wet moss once he woke up; there was no need to wait around for any longer in the vile-smelling ditch that the elder called his home.

Grasstail had one paw out the entrance when a thin, wheezy voice coming from behind him caught his attention. Although he had no reason whatsoever to care what Gorsewind was muttering in his sleep, some bizarre part of him made him stop and try to make out what the elder was saying.

"Sandstone…"

 _Huh?_ Intrigued, Grasstail padded back to Gorsewind's side and leaned down once again- but this time his objective was not to talk, but to listen. Wasn't sandstone a type of rock? He seemed to remember Spikeear having pointed some out to him once on his first day as an apprentice, when he'd been shown all the borders. He had no idea why such a trivial thing had remained in his memory while other, more important things, like the locations of prey, tended to slip his mind.

"There's no sandstone around here," Grasstail muttered, wondering if Gorsewind could hear him. He doubted it, but who knew with a cat in that state?

He quickly began to regret his comment as Gorsewind's face contorted with pain. "Sandstone, please… stay with me…"

The anguish in Gorsewind's voice frightened Grasstail, as did the way the elder began to claw at the ground. That combined with his eyelids staring to flutter and his glazed-over eyes flitting around in their sockets made the sleeping elder seem terrifying. It almost reminded Grasstail of when Podtail had received the prophecy about the saviour rising from the rain and somebody else falling into waves. No cat had figured out what the prophecy meant, and Grasstail could only assume its events had yet to come to pass. But Gorsewind clearly wasn't being spoken to by StarClan; no, he was simply being tormented in his dreams by… something.

Unnerved, Grasstail began to back away. His hind paw caught on a little root that was poking up from the ground and he stumbled, almost falling down but regaining his balance just in time to hear Gorsewind whisper, "I don't see why it has to change." The elder paused, letting out a faint whimper, before continuing. "You do still care, don't you?"

 _What is he babbling about?_ Grasstail rested his paw on his forehead to check for fever. Sure enough, the old cat's fur felt warmer than usual. A great sense of foreboding filled Grasstail; was Gorsewind dying?!

"Gorsewind, wake up," he meowed, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't want anybody to walk in on him and think he was crying over a shriveled old elder. "You're talking in your sleep."

When Gorsewind didn't respond- which, to be fair, he hadn't really expected him to- Grasstail gave him a jab in the ribs that may have been just a little too sharp. The old cat coughed, convulsing, and Grasstail jumped back with his fur standing on end. When his frail frame had settled, Gorsewind finally opened his eyes properly. He blinked at Grasstail as though he didn't recognize him. At that moment, Grasstail wasn't so sure that he recognized Gorsewind.

Fortunately, the blankness disappeared from Gorsewind's eyes quickly enough. "Oh, hello," he said slowly, noticing the water-soaked moss at his paws. "Brought me some water to drink, have you? You're a good little cat, Grasspaw."

"Gorsewind, I'm a warrior now," Grasstail meowed gently, feeling a pang of pity as he regarded the confused elder. "I have been for a whole moon now. Don't you remember?"

"Has it really been that long?"

Grasstail nodded, and Gorsewind simply let out a long, quiet sigh and didn't say anything else. He lapped up some of the water from the moss, although a lot of it had already left the moss and soaked into the ground. As he drank, Gorsewind seemed to collect himself a bit more, and Grasstail's muscles, which he hadn't even noticed had been tensed, relaxed.

His job was done. He left the elders' den after one last long look back to make sure that Gorsewind was okay, and then headed straight over to the medicine den. He really needed to talk to Podtail about that poor elder.

Watersplash buried her muzzle in Grasstail's coarse chest fur and took in a long breath of his heathery scent. "It is so good to see you again," she murmured as he gave the top of her head a gentle lick.

"It's nice to see you, too," he replied. "I've really missed you since we last saw each other."

"Grasstail, it's only been five days." Watersplash pulled back from him and came out of the crouching position she'd been in to place her muzzle below his neck. She was about a mouse-length taller than him- a fact that Grasstail didn't like it when she brought up. "How bad could it have really been?"

"Well, when your home life sucks, every day feels like a moon," Grasstail joked- or at least Watersplash hoped he was joking. She knew his life wasn't as great as hers, but surely it couldn't really be that bad? "No, scratch that- it feels like a season."

"So you've aged five whole seasons while I've only aged a week?" Watersplash purred. "Hmm, I think we might have to break this off. I mean, you're still very handsome-" she took the opportunity to press her nose against his and leave it there for a few seconds- "but I don't know if I can keep seeing a cat who's over a year older than me."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Grasstail said flatly. He wriggled in between Watersplash's front legs and leaned his head back against her chest, looking up at her with his vibrant green eyes. Whenever Watersplash looked directly at those eyes of his, it always startled her for a second. Compared to the muted gray of his pelt, the sheer greenness of his eyes was disjointing, and almost unsettling in a way. Watersplash was glad that Grasstail was hers, because she'd hate to be his enemy.

After a moment of looking deep into Watersplash's eyes, Grasstail squirmed out from between her front legs… and went around behind her to duck between her back legs. Caught off guard by the unexpected advance, Watersplash shrieked, kicking Grasstail in the head. He hissed at her indignantly, baring his fangs for a moment as she glared at him. Then he moved in again- this time from the front, thank StarClan- and hooked his claws into her soft neck and chest fur. He pulled her down so that their eyes were level and stared at her intensely.

Watersplash yanked herself away from him- although only after holding his gaze for a little longer than she'd have liked to admit. "What in the Dark Forest, Grasstail?!" she spat, taking a couple steps back from him. He flattened his fur out and blinked at her apologetically, but she chose to keep a bit of space between them just in case.

Grasstail looked at his paws and muttered something that sounded like "sorry." Watersplash sighed; she couldn't stay mad at him, and besides, she shouldn't have kicked him like that.

"Sorry about my reaction," she offered. "I'm just a little on edge right now. A while back…" She broke off, chewing on her lip nervously. Was it really a good idea to tell Grasstail about her missing kin? If Miststar wanted the other Clans to know that Patchfur had disappeared, he'd tell them at the upcoming Gathering.

 _Besides,_ Watersplash thought, _I don't want to betray my Clan by giving this WindClan cat information that could make RiverClan appear vulnerable._ She pointedly ignored the fact that she was already betraying her Clan pretty thoroughly by being in a relationship with that WindClan cat. That was different, right? Love was more important than borders, right?

"Well, I'm sorry I acted like a mange-pelt," Grasstail muttered, still staring at his paws. "I shouldn't get mad at you if you don't want to do the stuff I want to do."

Watersplash breathed out a sigh of relief at Grasstail's apology. It was good that he recognized where he'd misstepped. Even so…

"Hey, who said I don't want to do what you were trying?" she purred, curling her tail around his and enjoying the way his eyes lit up in comprehension.

"A-are you sure?" he stammered- now he was the one to take a step back. "I mean, that's great, but… are you really sure?"

It was kind of fun seeing Grasstail so flustered. He and Watersplash hadn't seemed to make each other nervous, at least outwardly, since they had started having a proper, solid relationship. "Sure I'm sure," she drawled, leaning in and resting her muzzle on his forehead. She tried to keep her chest from brushing up against him, because she didn't want him to feel how fast her heart was thumping. "We are warriors, after all. That means we're old enough, right?"

She tried very hard to believe what she was saying. She loved Grasstail; of that she was certain. And when you loved a cat, you were supposed to do certain things with them. One of those things was…

Watersplash's thoughts were cut off as Grasstail tackled her to the ground, as if they were play-fighting. She was a bit startled by his abruptness, but it was obviously a first time, so she let it slide. He began covering her in licks- face, neck, chest, and then a bit lower down. He stopped when he got to the space between her open legs. "Are you sure this is okay?" he whispered. Suddenly Watersplash wasn't so sure herself anymore, but she didn't want to say no to Grasstail, so she decided to change the topic, so to speak, by flipping him over. She bit down on his shoulder just hard enough for him to feel it, and he responded with a meow of approval. His hind legs began to beat at her sides- it was kind of like they really were fighting- and he angled his hips so that they lined up with Watersplash's.

She let him flip her back over, the sudden new energy pumping through her body driving her on. They moved against each other, drawing in heavy breaths that slowly became in sync as their bodies melded into each other. It was cold out- leaf-fall was upon them- but they kept each other warm.

Although it was all a bit sudden, Watersplash was certain that she would never regret a thing about that night.

Grasstail woke up to the incessant chatter of songbirds. He raised his head groggily, not remembering at all what had happened that night until his head bumped against Watersplash's muzzle and she grunted, batting him away. _Wait… what's Watersplash doing here?_ he thought. Then he realized where he was- decidedly not in the warriors' den. Or in the WindClan camp. Or, for that matter, on WindClan territory. But he supposed that was fitting, considering that he'd just slept with a RiverClan cat.

"Oh, dear StarClan," he mumbled, cringing as he suddenly got a splitting pain in his head. "What have I done?"

It was a stupid question- he knew exactly what he'd done. The only problem was that what he'd done was something he really shouldn't have. At least no cat could say it was entirely his fault- Watersplash had been pretty eager once they'd both gotten on the same page. And to be completely honest, Grasstail felt like it had been worth it.

He slithered out from between Watersplash's fluffy paws and shook his pelt out. "Hey," he whispered, giving the sleeping she-cat a little shake. "It's morning. We've gotta go."

"Uhhngh…" With a moan, Watersplash rolled over so she faced away from Grasstail. "Don't wanna get up…"

"Well, you have to," he told her, a prickle of irritation creeping into his mew. He tried to keep it out, but his voice might as well reflect how he felt. "If we let any cat find out about this, we're done for! How are you supposed to fulfill your fancy destiny if you've been banished from the lake?"

"Geez, okay, you don't have to be so mean," Watersplash grumbled. She slowly rose to her paws, wobbling a bit as she began to walk back toward RiverClan territory. The reeds that dotted the lakeshore closed around her and she was gone from view, and Grasstail was left to ponder the potential outcomes of coming home with ruffled fur after being gone all night.

While he made the trek back to the WindClan camp, the wind shifted and blew the scents of a few of his Clanmates toward him- the dawn patrol must have been out. Grasstail changed his course in an effort to avoid running into them. The last thing he needed was to be confronted.

However, his efforts proved to be in vain. A voice called out to him from the distance, and he looked up with a sinking feeling to see a group of dots on the horizon that were coming closer to him. As they came further into view, Grasstail recognized them as Spikeear, Barkstripe, and Berryheart. He breathed a sigh of relief that Appleshine wasn't among them, but remained wary nonetheless as his Clanmates approached him.

"There you are, Grasstail!" Berryheart exclaimed, seeming overcome with relief as she ran up to him. "Where were you last night?!"

Grasstail gulped. What was he supposed to tell her?! "I didn't go anywhere last night," he lied. "I just happened to get up a bit earlier than usual, and I decided to go for a little walk down to the lake to watch the sunrise."

"Hmm," Barkstripe muttered with a flick of her ears. "Appleshine says you've been going for a lot of nighttime walks recently. You don't have anything you'd like to tell us, would you?"

The sharpness in the tabby warrior's gaze was unnerving. Just how much did she know? However much Appleshine had told her, Grasstail supposed- so how much did Appleshine know?

"Now, now, Barkstripe, let's not jump to any conclusions here," Spikeear cut in, inadvertently saving Grasstail from further accusations. He would have sent his former mentor a grateful glance, but he felt it just would have aroused more suspicions. "Young Grasstail here is a mighty fine little furball. I'd be willing to bet my pelt that he'd never do anything suspect."

Spikeear's faith in Grasstail was a bit surprising. When they'd been apprentice and mentor, they hadn't really seemed to have any sort of connection that went any deeper than "I'm training you." Hearing Spikeear announce how much he trusted in him made Grasstail feel even guiltier about his relationship with Watersplash. But what was done was done, and all he could do now was make sure no cat ever found out about it.

"Rabbitleap was super worried when he realized you were gone," Berryheart told him as they escorted him back to camp. "Appleshine said you were probably visiting that RiverClan cat you used to be friends with, but I told her no way!"

Grasstail looked away and said nothing. How much longer could he keep this up?


	23. Chapter 23

A chilly breeze ruffled Watersplash's pelt and she shivered, leaning up against Minnowleap for warmth. She'd been told to stay close to her mother tonight and not wander off, and though she had no reason to doubt the reasoning behind it- Miststar had tightened the security of RiverClan considerably since Patchfur's disappearance, particularly where the younger warriors were concerned- a small part of her was afraid that the measure had been taken to prevent her from sneaking off with Grasstail.

"Cold, sweetie?" Minnowleap murmured, giving Watersplash a lick on the head. Such an outward show of motherly compassion was rare from her, and Watersplash really appreciated it, even though immediately afterwards the lithe silver-gray warrior nodded curtly and drew away from her shivering daughter. "There, there. Such a brave warrior shouldn't let the cold bother her."

Watersplash nodded, putting a bit of space between her and her mother. Minnowleap had always been very complimentary to and protective of Watersplash, and that was enough. Not every cat could be expected to give all of their relationships a physical aspect.

 _A physical aspect…_ Watersplash's face grew hot under her fur and she averted her eyes out of fear that Minnowleap would somehow be able to see her blushing through her thick blue-gray pelt. Though it had been over a moon since her and Grasstail's fateful encounter by the lake, it still felt bizarre to think that she had actually mated with someone, for lack of a better term. They had not repeated the act since, per Watersplash's request, and thankfully Grasstail didn't seem too eager to do it again either. Meeting in secret with a WindClan cat was bad enough; anything further would just make it that much harder to keep things a secret.

Watersplash had been looking forward to this night- the night of the Gathering. The full moon was partially obscured by clouds, but when they parted and the shining orb became visible, she felt as if anything were possible.

The moon had a yellowish glow to it that night, just as all the leaves of the forest had taken on a yellow tint in the past few days. It was officially leaf-fall, a season that Watersplash remembered fondly from her kithood days. She'd spent many a happy hour chasing around the leaves as they'd drifted down around her in all their pretty colours. But now that she was a warrior and had to think about feeding her Clan, leaf-fall wasn't so appealing. Leaf-bare would be even worse; the mere thought of snow made her shudder. She was lucky she was a RiverClan cat and that fish stayed plentiful all year round. The other Clans weren't so lucky. She just hoped the coming leaf-bare wouldn't be too hard on WindClan; Watersplash couldn't even imagine what she'd do if anything happened to Grasstail.

After crossing the log bridge with the amount of balance and precision her Clanmates had come to expect from her, Watersplash joined up with the milling crowd and started looking around for a flash of greenish-gray amidst the swarming mass of different-coloured pelts. Grasstail should have been easy to pick out in a crowd, but the WindClan tom had a way of blending in. However, a splash of bright reddish-brown caught her eye and she recognized Appleshine, Grasstail's sister. Watersplash had never met the red-and-white she-cat, but Grasstail had told her enough about her to make her easily identifiable.

Minnowleap must have noticed Watersplash scanning the crowd. "It looks like we're only waiting on ShadowClan," she muttered. "What are you looking around for?" she added, giving Watersplash a suspicious look. "Is there any cat in particular you were hoping to see?"

Watersplash gulped and shook her head. She'd gotten so distracted thinking about the changing of the seasons that she'd almost forgotten about her watchful mother. Even if Grasstail was there, there was no way Minnowleap was going to let her get alone with him.

"Good," Minnowleap meowed icily; Watersplash happened to glance down at her mother's silvery paws and noticed that she had unsheathed her claws. "There are no cats outside of RiverClan worth spending your time on- especially not WindClan. I was a bit worried that you didn't understand this back in your…" She clucked her tongue- "…Rather troublesome apprentice days, but it looks like the lesson is now well learned."

No less than a tail-length away, a WindClan tom with spiky white fur pricked his ears, glaring at Minnowleap. Watersplash's pelt prickled with unease, but she knew she had to give her mother the reply she was looking for or else Minnowleap would pry further.

"I wouldn't dream of associating with those weaklings," Watersplash muttered obediently, maintaining an uneasy eye contact with Minnowleap. "I was just checking to see if they look any less pathetic since the last time I saw them."

Minnowleap's fangs curved into a muted smile. "Oh, believe me, dear, that will never happen."

The spiky-furred tom moved in on them, clearing his throat loudly. _Please don't start a fight_ , Watersplash thought. She took a couple steps back, wanting to slink away but knowing she had to stay close to Minnowleap.

"Excuse me, mange-pelt," the white tom spat. "That's my Clan you're talking about!"

"Oh, I know that all too well," Minnowleap sniffed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Your disgusting scent is quite recognizable."

"Oh, you think we smell bad?" the WindClan warrior challenged, baring his teeth. "At least we don't reek of fish."

If Watersplash had been worried about a fight breaking out before, now she was downright terrified. "Please, mother," she begged, stepping between the two cats. "Just calm down. The Gathering is supposed to be-"

"…A truce. Yeah, I know," the white-furred tom scoffed. "It's just a shame your mommy here doesn't seem to know that. She thinks it's okay to go around insulting another cats' Clan right in front of them," he added in a snarl, raking his claws in the half-frozen ground.

Around them, other cats had backed away, forming a ring around the confrontation. No cat had stepped up to stop either of them yet, but they all looked extremely uncomfortable. Watersplash could definitely relate to that.

"Minnowleap, come on," she pleaded, tugging at her mother's scruff. "StarClan will be angry. It's not worth it!"

No sooner had Watersplash's teeth met Minnowleap's scruff than the silver-gray warrior jerked away, hissing. She swiped at Watersplash, who ducked, shrinking back in shame as her mother's claws whipped over her head.

"Watersplash, I am your mother!" she spat, the fury burning in her eyes catching Watersplash off guard. "I give you orders, not the other way around! You are to respect me!"

 _Shouldn't it be Miststar who gives us both orders?_ Watersplash thought. She nodded nonetheless, backing away from her furious mother. Next to them, the WindClan tom gave them a confused look, his eyes flicking between Watersplash and Minnowleap. It looked like his fur was no longer standing on end, although it was so messy that it was hard to tell.

Shaken, Watersplash took her place next to Minnowleap, who fixed her with a stern glare. They sat well away from any WindClan cats. Watersplash never did find out if Grasstail was even at that Gathering; if he was, she didn't get the chance to say hello to him. They'd just have to wait until the next time…

Appleshine had a way of keeping other cats entertained. Out of Grasstail and his littermates, she was by far the most social. Berryheart was shy, and hung back with the antisocial Grasstail while their sister swapped stories with a couple of young warriors from ThunderClan. Soon three RiverClan cats showed up who looked just a bit younger than Watersplash. Grasstail thought he might have recognized them, but couldn't be sure. Appleshine definitely seemed to know them, and she chatted merrily on with them right up until the final Clan arrived and the leaders called for everyone's attention.

Ringstar spoke first but didn't have much to say- or maybe he did, and Grasstail just zoned him out. WindClan may have shared a border with ThunderClan, but that didn't mean he had the slightest bit of interest in any of their affairs. He was just eager to hear how RiverClan was doing- or more specifically, how Watersplash was doing.

But it looked like he was going to have to wait a while for that opportunity. Jadestar spoke next, and her news was as disinteresting as Ringstar's had been- right up until the end. She looked hesitant to say it at first, but her deputy gave her a somber nod and she straightened herself up and mewed, "I have on last thing to say." She paused, looking around the clearing. "One of our youngest warriors, Birchstripe, has gone missing."

On the branch next to her, Miststar stiffened. Grasstail cocked his head; what did the RiverClan leader know about this? He vaguely remembered Watersplash complaining to him once about a friend of hers- kin, maybe- who was pursuing a relationship with a ShadowClan cat. Was he remembering it wrong, or did that have something to do with this development? He leaned forward, curious if Jadestar would have any more to say, but she sat back and nodded to Sandstar for him to speak next.

"Things are going very well in WindClan," Sandstar meowed, wobbling a bit on his branch as he tried to stand. Next to him, Ringstar rested his striped tail on his back, reassuring him that it was okay to remain sitting. Sandstar gave the younger leader a look of gratitude before continuing. "Prey is running well, sickness has spared us so far, and best of all, there are new kits in the Clan. Lilyflower has given birth to two kits: Heatherkit and Flamekit."

He sat back and didn't say any more, which was fine with Grasstail. The other Clans didn't need to know about how low Podtail's herbs stocks were getting, or how Roseflower had been finding it harder and harder to move around and it was very obvious that she would not outlive Sandstar- at least not by long enough to make her a suitable deputy any longer. So what if WindClan was likely going to die out within the next few years? At least there were new kits!

Pessimistic thoughts aside, Grasstail focused his attention onto Miststar as he began to speak. He hadn't been able to make out Watersplash in the crowd, although he'd thought he'd heard her voice earlier when there had been a bit of a "kerfuffle", as Appleshine had put it, involving Spikeear and "some snobby RiverClan queen". He could only assume she hadn't been referring to Watersplash; although she might have come off as a bit snobby to some, there was no way any cat would mistake her for a nursery queen. She was much too young to be a mother.

"I have good news and bad news of RiverClan," Miststar began, shooting another glance at Jadestar. "First, the good news: we have four kits who are nearly ready to become apprentices, as well as a new couple who have just announced that they are mates. On top of that, we have just made three new warriors- Mallowheart, Oakleaf, and Shellsong."

"That's us!" squealed one of the cats Appleshine had been talking to earlier- a white she-cat with faint cream-coloured stripes. If Grasstail had to guess, he'd guess she was Shellsong. He knew she was good friends with Watersplash, so he made sure to cheer her name along with the other cats, despite him rarely ever doing so for cats outside of WindClan.

"And now for the bad news." Miststar's shoulders sagged and he met eyes one final time with Jadestar, who this time returned his gaze with a questioning tilt of her head. "One of our warriors has gone missing as well. Patchfur disappeared one night, and though we've searched for him extensively, we have found no sign of him."

The island broke out into murmurs. Could these two disappearances have been connected somehow? Grasstail would have bet all his prey for a week that the answer was a resounding yes.

After the Gathering ended and the cats left to go home to their separate Clans, Grasstail hoped to catch sight of Watersplash before she left. He thought he saw her disappearing into the undergrowth alongside a sleek silver-gray she-cat, but if it was her, she didn't see him. Discouraged, he trudged home, bringing up the rear.

Did Watersplash know anything about the two cats who had disappeared? And if so, why hadn't she mentioned it to Grasstail?

Storkflight's kits frisked around the camp, jumping up to bat at leaves as they fell, just as Watersplash had done when she was a kit. There weren't many trees in RiverClan territory, but there was a cluster of saplings at the edge of camp that provided some shade during greenleaf and some entertainment for kits during leaf-fall.

Of the four kits, it would have been obvious to any cat which one had not been a part of Storkflight's litter. Not only was Snakekit bigger than his adopter littermates, his name didn't fit into the theme that Storkflight had used when naming her biological kits- Coalkit, a black tom; Emberkit, a black-and-orange she-cat; and Smokekit, a frail gray tom. Watersplash had once joked to Shellsong that maybe the real reason Storkflight didn't want her to spend too much time around her kits was because she was afraid that water would douse their flames. Shellsong had simply stared at her and meowed that smoke, coals, and embers weren't the same thing as fire, and that you could have those things even after the fire had already gone out. Watersplash had still thought it was a good joke, but she wasn't one to get hung up on little things.

The kits would probably be made apprentices any day now, Watersplash reflected as she watched them playing in the late afternoon sun. She wondered if she'd get to be the mentor to any of them. If so, she hoped it would be Emberkit. Somehow mentoring another she-cat seemed more comfortable to her than mentoring a tom. Suppose her apprentice got a crush on her? Watersplash was often told how lovely she was, and it seemed unlikely that Grasstail would be the only tom to ever develop feelings for her.

Of course, she supposed that her hypothetical apprentice could fall for her even if they weren't a tom. She thought back to when she'd been told about Grasstail's sister, Appleshine, and the object of her affections. Watersplash had assumed that Barkstripe had been a tom, but upon meeting her at another Gathering the next moon, she'd been shocked to discover that Barkstripe was actually a she-cat. Looking back on it, Watersplash really shouldn't have been so surprised. After all, she'd been well-acquainted by that point with Patchfur and his many-gendered flings. But that had felt… different to her somehow. That was just how Patchfur was, and it had never occurred to her that he wasn't the only cat of his sort.

It had been so long since Patchfur had left… what had happened to him? Watersplash hoped he and Birchstripe were still alive. While her cousin hadn't been weak by any means he hadn't been as skilled a warrior as her, and his hunting skills were passable at best. And since they had left the lake, they might not be able to get by on fishing, and Watersplash had never seen Patchfur catch a single piece of land prey. She just hoped for his sake that Birchstripe was as perfect as he'd said they were, and that they were able to provide for him.

Indeed, it had been a long time since Watersplash had seen or heard from Patchfur, and she had more or less given up hope of ever doing so again. That was why it came as quite a shock to her when one night, she felt herself being shaken awake and looked up to see him standing over her.

Bleary-eyed and convinced she must have been dreaming, Watersplash sat up, lifting her paw to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Patchfur?" she mumbled in disbelief. "What are you doing here?!"

"Shhhh," the black-and-white tom hissed, pressing his tail to Watersplash's muzzle and glancing around the warriors' den furtively. Eyes wide, Watersplash nodded in a silent agreement not to alert any cat to his presence.

Once satisfied that they weren't being watched, Patchfur crept outside, beckoning for Watersplash to follow him. She complied, feeling like she was in some sort of trance, and he led her over to a secluded crevice between two rocks before explaining his unexpected return.

"I've come back for you," he whispered- as if that was supposed to explain everything, or even anything for that matter. "If you want to get out of here, now's your chance."

Watersplash blinked at the familiar face of her cousin, baffled by his nonchalance. He was looking a little worse for wear since she'd seen him last; his fur was matted and seemed to have grown out considerably, and he had a new scar running from the bottom of his newly torn right ear all the way down to his muzzle. Nevertheless, he looked exceedingly happy, and she could only assume that he'd adjusted well to his new life with his beloved mate.

Even so, that happiness didn't in any way justify what he'd done. "Why did you run away like that?!" Watersplash demanded, taking momentary satisfaction when Patchfur's tail drooped in dismay at her anger. "We had no idea what happened to you, or if you were even still alive!"

"B-but we had no choice but to leave," Patchfur stammered, his hurt expression giving Watersplash a twinge of guilt. She had to remind herself that her anger was fully justified. "Our love would never have been accepted here," he meowed. "Birchstripe and I needed to go somewhere where we'd be allowed to live together."

Watersplash knew he had a point. Patchfur shouldn't have run away and left his Clanmates- even his own brother- to worry. But truth be told, running away had crossed her own mind from time to time. It filled her with shame each time the thought surfaced, but what her cousin said was true- cats from separate Clans weren't supposed to be in romantic relationships with each other.

Patchfur must have noticed that Watersplash's conviction had wavered. "You know how I feel, don't you?" he whispered; Watersplash averted her eyes, but his gaze burned into her pelt. "Come with me and Birchstripe," he pressed, taking a step forward with bright, hopeful eyes. "You can bring that WindClan tom with you. We can all live together, away from all of this."

He gestured at his surroundings- the place Watersplash had lived her whole life. Leaving it all behind was unimaginable. But if it meant she could be free to love Grasstail…

"What about the others?" Watersplash mewed, her voice hoarse. "I can't…"

"Think about it," Patchfur suggested. Then, with a swish of his tail, he turned and bounded away without another word.

Watersplash stumbled back into her nest, her mind reeling. What was she going to do?


	24. Chapter 24

Dawn patrol was one of Grasstail's least favourite things. He was not a morning cat, and the stiff, awkward silence that floated between him, Barkstripe, and Runningfoot as they trekked through the dewy fields did nothing to improve on his mood. Coarse strands of long grass brushed against his underbelly as they crossed a marshy patch. There had been a rainy spell recently, and getting his paws wet was only something Grasstail would happily put up with when it meant he was going to see Watersplash. Having to tromp through the reeds at the border between WindClan and RiverClan was annoying, but being greeted by the melodic meow of the cat he loved made it worth it. This, meanwhile, had nothing to make it worth it, other than the possibility of stopping to hunt on the way back.

"So, Runningfoot," Barkstripe mewed stiffly to break the past several minutes of silence. "It's pretty cool that you're a father now."

Runningfoot grunted in reply, keeping his gaze trained wearily ahead. Barkstripe drew in a breath as though she was going to say something more, but then she simply exhaled in a sigh, her shoulders slumping. Grasstail studied the tabby warrior as she walked in front of him- the slight sway of her hips as she moved, the intricate pattern of her darker brown stripes, the way her tail sort of tapered off at the end. If he squinted, he could almost make out why Appleshine was so attracted to her, and sometimes he wished he could be as well. But the only she-cat Grasstail had ever been interested in was the one he wasn't supposed to be with.

The patrol approached the ThunderClan border, and on the other side of the little stream separating the two territories, Grasstail could see the line of trees with their red, orange, and yellow leaves. There were no trees to speak of on WindClan territory, other than the occasional scraggly bush that was almost tall enough to count as a tree, so Grasstail hadn't had the changing colours of the leaves to alert him to how quickly greenleaf was becoming leaf-fall. It was almost startling to think that he was over a year old now- it felt like just the other day that he'd ventured outside of camp for the first time.

Some of his earliest memories were of leaf-fall- or more specifically, hiding in the nursery, huddled up against Owlwing's cozy fur, as the temperature steadily dropped. He hadn't understood at the time why it was getting colder with each passing day, and his Clanmates' nonchalance at the (to him) startling phenomenon had been somewhat upsetting to him. All the pretty grass was turning brown and getting covered up by that white stuff falling from the sky… why wasn't any cat doing anything to stop it?! Grasstail understood now that there was nothing any cat could do to slow down time, but he felt that his kithood distress on the matter had been part of what had cultivated the still-present disgust he harboured for his Clan as a whole.

After confirming that there had been no unsolicited border crossings and renewing the scent markers, the patrol headed toward the RiverClan border. Grasstail perked up a little as they approached; although the chances of encountering Watersplash were next to nonexistent, striding through the now-familiar stretch of reeds between WindClan and RiverClan brought back pleasant memories.

No sooner had they renewed the scent markers than an enthusiastic squeak broke through the air, followed by a round bundle of orange and black tumbling out of the reeds and scrambling up on top of the rotting log that served as the official boundary between territories. Barkstripe jumped back, hissing, and Runningfoot arched his back. Grasstail simply blinked, dumbfounded, at the RiverClan kit- because she clearly was a kit- or more likely, a very young apprentice.

"Hi," she mewed, waving her short black tail in greeting. "You guys smell weird," she continued, wrinkling her little pink nose. "Are you WindClan warriors?"

"Er, yes," Runningfoot muttered, staring down the apprentice with a probably unwarranted amount of suspicion. "What business do you have with us?"

Grasstail suppressed a snort at the senior warrior's serious, wary tone. Did he seriously think that if RiverClan was going to invade they'd send a new apprentice in first? Chances were that this was just some rabbit-brained 'paw excited about their first time out of camp and too stupid to know better than to cross borders.

Sure enough, a concerned yowl rang out in the distance. "Emberpaw, where did you go?! Get back here this instant!" Grasstail stiffened; he knew that voice.

Apparently the apprentice recognized it too. "Uh-oh," she whimpered, swiveling around to look behind her.

She hopped off the boundary log, and Runningfoot slid his claws out when he landed on the WindClan side. Barkstripe moved forward as if she was going to attack the RiverClan apprentice. "Don't be stupid," Grasstail hissed, earning him a warning look from Runningfoot. "Do you want to start a fight? The little furball obviously doesn't know any better."

A few moments later, Watersplash shoved through the clump of reeds, looking beautiful even as her shoulders heaved in exhaustion. After taking a while to catch her breath, she reached over the log and hoisted Emberpaw by the scruff back onto the RiverClan side before starting in on her with a fierceness characteristic to the passionate warrior.

"What in the name of StarClan, Emberpaw?!" Watersplash snapped, causing Emberpaw to shrink back, ears pressed against her head. "Running off on me like that- and then crossing the WindClan border! Do you have bees in your brain?!"

"I'm no expert, but I'd say that she does," Grasstail commented dryly before he could stop himself. Runningfoot gave him a sideways look; Watersplash's head jerked up from Emberpaw and her gaze met Grasstail's. She bit back a curse as soon as she saw him- she must not have even realized he was among the patrol. Grasstail bit his tongue. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut?

"G-Grasstail," Watersplash sputtered, giving her ruffled fur a couple of hasty licks. "F-fancy meeting you here." She must have noticed the awkward looks Runningfoot and Barkstripe were giving her, because she gulped and dipped her head to each of them in turn. "…Hey, Barkstripe," she meowed. "Uh, how are things going with Appleshine?"

Barkstripe shot Grasstail an inquisitive glance and he suppressed a shudder. Then she turned to Watersplash, dipping her head in a mechanical manner. "Appleshine is fine," she meowed. "And what about that missing warrior of yours? Did they find him, or what?"

Watersplash didn't reply, instead grumbling to herself, clearly as mortified as Grasstail was. She turned around and left in a hurry, shoving Emberpaw along until the confused apprentice ran ahead again, this time dashing toward a frog sitting on a lilypad. Grasstail chuckled quietly to himself as he watched her run after the young cat, letting his mind wander to a fantasy of her chasing after a kit of her own one day- their kit. It was pointless to imagine, of course, because it would never happen. Even so, it was nice to just imagine it for a moment.

Grasstail wished they had the possibility of such a future, but wishing wouldn't make it happen.

Although only a few days ago Watersplash had hoped that the eager young she-cat would be assigned to her rather than one of the three toms, she was now beginning to regret that wish. She had never been so humiliated in her life, and her ears had burned for hours afterward. She had no idea how she'd be able to look Grasstail in the eyes again. With any luck, today wouldn't be as bad- there would be no borders to run across this time, just them, the river, and hopefully a few fish.

Watersplash had been happy to get an apprentice at first. She was so proud of herself- her own apprentice! Minnowleap had given her a congratulatory smile, telling her she was positive Watersplash would be the best mentor possible to Emberpaw. Besides, an apprentice had seemed like a great distraction from the whole ordeal with Patchfur.

Watersplash had ended up turning down his offer to run away with him- of course she had! She had duties to attend to in RiverClan, and what about the prophecy? Her cousin hadn't returned since, not having looked very happy about her refusal to join him. Afterwards, she'd thought about telling somebody that Patchfur was alive so they wouldn't worry anymore, but she felt as though she'd be betraying him if she did, and she didn't want him to be even angrier with him.

While Emberpaw certainly had been serving as a distraction, she was more problematic than Watersplash had been prepared for. She would have thought any apprentice of hers would be well-mannered and obedient, but Emberpaw was anything but. Crossing the WindClan border on her very first day of training? And it had just had to be right when a WindClan patrol had been coming- and Grasstail among them, no less!

Now it was a new day, and Miststar had asked Watersplash to take Emberpaw fishing. It didn't seem like that would be too much trouble at first, but Watersplash was quickly proven wrong. As soon as they left the camp, Emberpaw bolted ahead of Watersplash, who had to run to catch up. She found the apprentice sitting down in the middle of the stream, eyes trained on the water and looking side to side. She looked up with a happy grin when Watersplash appeared next to her. "Look what I caught!" she announced, holding up her front paw so Watersplash could see the minnow she'd skewered onto one of her claws.

"You're in the wrong place," Watersplash told her, pointing her tail in the direction of the river. " _That's_ where we want to go to fish. You won't catch anything good in this stream."

"I caught this," Emberpaw mewed, shoving the minnow in Watersplash's face. Because it was still hooked onto her claw, it almost poked her eye out. Watersplash batted it away in irritation, yanking off Emberpaw's paw and tossing it into the bushes. "No fair; I was gonna eat it," Emberpaw whined, scampering off after the miniscule fish.

Watersplash took deep breaths, telling herself to be patient with the apprentice. The world seemed a whole lot bigger to a cat that young, and it really was quite understandable how she'd mistaken the tiny creek for a river. When all a cat had ever seen were puddles, a pond looked like a lake. The territories around the lake in their entirety must have seemed too vast to comprehend.

Once Emberpaw had taken much longer than necessary to eat her minnow- reportedly it "was smaller than I normally like but still pretty good", a remark at which Watersplash had to stifle a snort- and Watersplash had collected herself, they set off for the river.

As soon as Emberpaw laid eyes on the current, she shrunk back, and Watersplash, as odd as it may have sounded, was glad. Maybe it was mean to be happy her apprentice was scared, but it was better than rushing into the swirling rapids, right? Besides, it seemed like it would be a good opportunity for a classic mentor-apprentice bonding moment. Watersplash would tell Emberpaw that there was no need to be frightened, and demonstrate how to stand on the rocks to avoid falling in, and then-

Wait, was that twoleg scent?! With a jolt, Watersplash realized that she'd been so focused on Emberpaw, making sure that the rambunctious apprentice didn't get into trouble, that she'd been totally ignoring her surroundings. But as soon as she saw the cluster of twolegs around the river, all thoughts of reassuring Emberpaw vanished, replaced by fear and panic. What were they doing here?! She knew that they sometimes came from the greenleaf twolegplace to fish, which they did by casting thin silver lines attached to shiny sticks into the water, but they'd never come this close to the RiverClan camp before!

"What are those things?" Emberpaw whimpered. "They're so big!"

"Quiet," Waterpaw hissed, pulling her apprentice into the undergrowth. She held her breath, praying none of the twolegs had seen or heard them. Emberpaw struggled against her grip, but Watersplash held her to her chest, where the apprentice hopefully couldn't feel how hard her heart was hammering. She didn't want her apprentice to know how terrified she was. "Change of plans," she whispered once she was sure none of the twolegs could hear. "We're not going fishing here. We're going to get away from here- _quietly_ \- and we'll fish further up the river instead. Understood?"

Emberpaw nodded, eyes wide. Watersplash nudged her to her paws and crouched in the undergrowth for a moment, making sure the twolegs weren't watching, before slowly beginning to slink away. She planned on breaking into a sprint if she was spotted, and she just hoped Emberpaw could keep up if it came to that.

As she stepped backward, a twig snapped beneath her paw, and one of the twolegs jerked its head up. It mumbled something to one of its friends, pointing at Watersplash and Emberpaw, who had frozen in terror. Intrigued, a couple of the other twolegs got up and walked over to them. Watersplash ducked behind a bush, but Emberpaw lingered in the open, exposed just enough for a glimpse of her orange-and-black pelt to be visible, starkly contrasting the scrubby greens and browns of the undergrowth. Muttering curses under her breath, Watersplash leaped out of hiding to shove Emberpaw out of sight just as the twolegs reached them.

The bigger one, a male that wasn't wearing a twoleg pelt on his upper body, reached for Watersplash with its giant, ugly paw. She hissed, swiping at it, and it wisely drew back. The other twoleg that had wandered over was female, and looked like it was still a kit. It reached for Watersplash as well, although the bigger one held out a paw as though to protest, and followed after her as she began to run away. Emberpaw scrambled out of the hiding place Watersplash had shoved her into and snarled at the twolegs and jumping up to bite the smaller one's leg. The little twoleg cried, kicking Emberpaw off, and the older one shouted at them as Waterpaw helped Emberpaw to her paws. They both turned tail and ran away as fast as they could, not daring to look back until Watersplash couldn't hear the twoleg shouting anymore.

She leaned against a tree, panting, and tried to get her fur to lie flat. Emberpaw was clearly just as shaken as Watersplash was by the encounter, although she fortunately didn't seem to be hurt. "That was scary," she mewed quietly. "You didn't tell me those things were going to be there."

"I had no clue they'd be there," Watersplash sighed. "I'd never have taken you there if I had."

It was hard to tell if Emberpaw fully understood, but Watersplash decided to drop the subject and move on.

"So," she asked, forcing her voice into a more cheerful tone, "do you still want to go fishing somewhere else, then?"

Emberpaw perked right up at the offer. "I do!" she squealed, running off in the wrong direction again. With a sigh, Watersplash hurried after her apprentice, wondering if she'd ever get used to being a mentor.

"So your pretty little RiverClan mate has an apprentice now, huh?" Appleshine mumbled around a mouthful of partridge. "That's nice. I wonder if the 'paw will grow up to be as _perfect_ and _special_ as her mentor."

Grasstail's pelt prickled in irritation. "Shut up," he hissed, his cheeks burning. "First of all, she's not my mate, and second of all, she's not like that anymore!"

Berryheart glanced up from the vole she'd been sniffing at for the last five minutes. She still hadn't taken a single bite out of it. "What isn't she like?"

"Y'know, all stuck-up and stuff," he muttered. "Watersplash is a lovely cat if you actually take the time to get to know her." He tore off a chunk of the partridge he and Appleshine were sharing just as she reached for it, glaring as he gulped it down. She gave him an indignant huff. _Serves you right,_ Grasstail thought. How dare she be so disrespectful to Watersplash!

"Yeah, Appleshine, you know she can't be his mate," Berryheart chimed in. "She's not from WindClan, so it wouldn't be allowed."

" _Thank you_ , Berryheart," Grasstail meowed dramatically, directing it at Appleshine rather than Berryheart herself, who looked pleased to have contributed. "I know I can be a rabbit-brain sometimes-"

"Understatement," Appleshine broke in.

"-But surely you wouldn't accuse me of breaking the warrior code," he continued, pointedly ignoring Appleshine's little comment. He narrowed his eyes at her when she didn't respond. " _Would you_?"

"I don't think he would," Berryheart offered- either she was just too nice for her own good, or Grasstail had done something he wasn't aware of that had won her over. He strongly suspected it was the former. "Grasstail is a loyal warrior, right?"

Appleshine muttered something under her breath, her tail lashing. She yanked the partridge away from Grasstail and tore off a wing, spitting out feathers as she chewed it. Although Grasstail was still hungry, he stood up and stalked away, shutting out Berryheart's meow of protest.

Guilt wormed in Grasstail's belly as he flopped down in his nest, sending up stay bits of heather into the air. He blew them away in annoyance. If he kept going the way he did, he and his littermates' relationship would soon become unsalvageable. Was a romantic bond really worth sacrificing the love of his kin?

Sure it was, Grasstail decided bitterly. It wasn't his fault Appleshine was acting like a mange-pelt, or that Berryheart had the mindset of a kit. If his littermates wanted to be stupid furballs, so be it. He wasn't going to give Watersplash up for their sake.


	25. Chapter 25

A cold wind was blowing off the lake, ruffling Watersplash's fur as she sat on the shore. Emberpaw had begged to come down there, and although Watersplash had done her best to convince her that it was too cold out for swimming lessons, the apprentice had done nothing but sulk all morning until Watersplash had finally given up and agreed to take Emberpaw down to the lake. She knew she had to stop being such a pushover, but it was hard to take authority with such a difficult apprentice. She felt like Emberpaw wouldn't listen no matter what, so it was easier to just go along with what she wanted sometimes.

"I'm gonna start swimming now!" Emberpaw called from where she stood a few tail-lengths into the lake. The water came up to her belly. Watersplash seemed to remember it being up to her chin at that point when she'd been Emberpaw's age; the young apprentice had hit a growth spurt.

"Just don't go too far out," Watersplash meowed. Emberpaw nodded before taking a deep breath and plunging her head under the water.

Watersplash watched the stream of bubbles that tracked the submerged apprentice's location in the water as she swam about, coming up to suck in a gulp of air and then going down again. Despite her initial bad behavior, Emberpaw was proving to be quite the fast learner- almost faster than Watersplash had been. If it weren't surely impossible, she'd have wondered if her apprentice would soon end up surpassing her.

Since Emberpaw was doing fine on her own, Watersplash let her attention wander, gazing over at the rolling hills of WindClan. Squinting against the sun, she spotted a patrol on the horizon, and as they drew nearer she saw with a pang of excitement that Grasstail was among them. She stood up and waved her tail, hoping he'd see her. Sure enough, the greenish-gray warrior seemed to perk up a bit, and she could just make out him waving his tail back at her.

Watersplash purred softly to herself, pleased to have seen her lover, even if it was only from a distance. Just as becoming a warrior had given her more freedom, becoming a mentor had taken that freedom away; Watersplash had only been able to meet up with Grasstail three times in the past two moons- and one of those times had been at a Gathering.

Then she diverted her attention back to Emberpaw, who had paddled a bit further out than what was to Watersplash's liking. "Come back this way," she called. Emberpaw didn't listen, instead propelling herself even further out toward the middle of the lake with surprisingly powerful strokes. Watersplash wondered if she could even hear her from that far out. "Come back!" she repeated, raising her voice. "You're too far out!"

Emberpaw still didn't turn around. Watersplash sighed; she'd hoped to avoid going in the water on such a chilly day, but it was her duty as mentor to keep her apprentice safe at all times. She jumped into the lake, cringing at the low temperature, and swam out toward the disobedient young cat. Emberpaw must have seen Watersplash swimming out for her, because she sucked in a breath and ducked underwater again, this time holding her breath. Not in the mood for such shenanigans, Watersplash submerged her head as well, keeping her eyes open so as not to lose track of her apprentice.

She could see Emberpaw thrusting herself away as fast as possible, her little legs kicking hard and fast. She had to get tired out soon, and sure enough, after she went up for air once her pace had slowed down significantly. Watersplash closed the distance between them, her frustration sharpening into outrage as Emberpaw veered up to the surface again just as she reached her. But she wasn't going to lose her that easily. Watersplash followed her apprentice to the surface, giving her a sharp cuff. "Emberpaw, stop this at once!" she commanded, kicking her legs to stay afloat. "You are directly disobeying your mentor's instructions- I told you not to go too far out!"

"But I wanna swim to the other side," Emberpaw whined, trying to jerk away and duck back underwater. Watersplash wasn't having it; she grabbed the black-and-orange apprentice by the scruff and yanked her toward the shore. "No fair!" she protested, struggling against the grip of Watersplash's teeth. "I'm gonna tell Storkflight!"

"In that case," Watersplash hissed around a mouthful of bicoloured fur, "I'll tell Miststar that you were misbehaving."

Emberpaw grumbled but stopped resisting. Once they were both back on shore, Watersplash sat Emberpaw down across from her and gave her a strict talking-to.

"I know swimming is fun, but it you're not ready to swim that far yet," she meowed sternly. "Even accomplished warriors have a hard time swimming such a distance! You'd never make it all the way across. And if you did, some cat from another Clan might spot you and think we're planning to invade!"

Emberpaw stared at her paws. "Sorry," she muttered. It was obvious she was only saying it because she had to, but Watersplash decided to accept the apology anyway. Emberpaw would learn in due time what was acceptable behavior and what wasn't. Until then, it was her job to keep her on the right track.

She just hoped she'd be able to keep it up for long enough.

Sandstar was sitting up in his nest, staring at the elders' den with a faraway look in his eyes. Grasstail wondered if he was worried about Gorsewind. The old cat's health had been rapidly deteriorating as of late, and as leaf-fall progressed Podtail was afraid that he'd soon succumb to illness. Grasstail knew that the two elderly toms had been very close in their youth- "closer than friends," Roseflower had once told him. It was unclear to Grasstail exactly what the nature of their relationship had been, but at this point it didn't really matter. They were both so old…

"You've been to RiverClan territory again, haven't you?" Sandstar's raspy meow startled Grasstail. The leader swung his head around to face him, his half-clouded eyes piercing Grasstail's pelt. "I can smell them all over you."

"I-I was on a border patrol earlier today, yes," Grasstail answered, choosing his words carefully. He added a flustered dip of his head at the last minute, not wanting Sandstar to think he was being disrespectful.

Sandstar gave him a long look. "That's not what I meant." The reply made Grasstail want to shudder. He wondered just how much the leader knew. He hadn't shown any sign of knowing anything about Watersplash before this- but what if he had suspected something all along and was just waiting for the right moment? Maybe he was testing Grasstail to see what his reaction was.

Well, if he did know something, hopefully he'd just spit it out already. Grasstail would have preferred Appleshine's intrusive interrogations to this anxiety-inducing uncertainty.

"Could you do me a favour and check on Gorsewind for me?" Sandstar asked, changing the subject. He hesitated a moment before adding, "And tell him I'm sorry for being such a fool all those seasons ago."

Grasstail nodded numbly, still shaken by the prospect that the Clan leader knew he was having romantic relations outside his Clan. He ducked into the elders' den to find Gorsewind huddled in a corner, scuffing his paws in the dirt. _What is he doing?_ Grasstail wondered, padding forward to get a closer look at what the elder was scratching in the dirt.

Up close, he could see that Gorsewind was drawing some kind of pattern. His breath rustled some of Gorsewind's ragged fur and the elder flinched, swinging his muzzle around to glare at Grasstail accusingly. He jumped back, alarmed, and Gorsewind relaxed, his shoulders sagging back into their sunken position.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," Gorsewind croaked, frantically rubbing out the patterns he'd drawn. "You'll give me a heart attack."

"Sorry," Grasstail muttered. He sniffed, checking for the scent of sickness, and was relieved not to detect it. "Sandstar told me to check on you," he explained. "He also said to tell you he's sorry."

Gorsewind stiffened, drawing in a sharp inhale. "Sandstar, eh?" he rasped, trying a bit too hard to sound casual. "Why, what's the old cat done wrong this time?"

"He says it's for something he did many seasons ago," Grasstail meowed awkwardly. "Acting like a fool… I, um, don't know exactly what he meant, but-"

"I know what he means," Gorsewind sighed. There was a deep sadness to him as he spoke, and Grasstail wondered what could have transpired between him and Sandstar to warrant it. "But I don't know what good he thinks it'll do to go apologizing now. I've already forgiven him long ago. Oh, I was angry at first, but what choice did he have? Things were different back in our day. Cats weren't as accepting."

"Accepting?" Grasstail echoed, fully aware that he sounded like an idiot. "What do you mean?"

"Son, you may be a moody one, but you're no rabbit-brain," the elder harrumphed. "Haven't you figured it out by now? After all I told you about us before, did you really still think that Sandstar and I were just friends back in the day?"

Grasstail was unsure how to answer. Of course he'd been able to surmise that the two toms had had a very close relationship, but it had never occurred to him that the relationship had been anything other than platonic.

Gorsewind barked out a short, harsh laugh, as though he could tell what Grasstail was thinking. "That's right, I'll just come right out and say it now, because StarClan knows I couldn't come out and say it back then. Sandstar used to be my mate."

He paused, maintaining eye contact with Grasstail but tense, as though he was going to run away at any moment. He was obviously gauging Grasstail's reaction to see if he had a judgemental expression. But he had no reason to. Gorsewind was no more deserving of his judgement than Appleshine, or Barkstripe, or any other cat.

"Go on," Grasstail meowed calmly, and he smiled inwardly as he saw Gorsewind relax and his fur flatten. "What happened between you to change that?"

"Well, even then, it wasn't like cats like us were considered a violation of the warrior code- at least not officially," Gorsewind began. "The previous leader, Harestar, couldn't have exiled us from WindClan just on account of us being mates- or at least, that couldn't be the official reason."

He gave Grasstail a dry smile, and Grasstail's belly did a summersault. He couldn't even imagine Appleshine being faced with the threat of exile, and as much as he hated her sometimes, he was glad that wasn't the case. Two warriors in the same Clan being mates was never something that should have been seen as a problem.

"Fortunately, Harestar wasn't too judgemental, so even if we had been open about the whole thing we wouldn't have faced the risk of exile," Gorsewind went on. "However, Sandstar- Sandstone back then- didn't want to take the risk."

Grasstail seemed to remember Gorsewind having told him once before that Sandstar's warrior name had been Sandstone, but he'd completely forgotten. He recalled the time the elder had repeated the name as he was tossing and turning. Suddenly that made a lot more sense.

"I told Sandstone to stop worrying- after all, it wasn't like Clan life was the be-all, end-all. If worst did come to worst, we could've run away and lived together in the woods somewhere. The life of a rogue wouldn't be so bad if I had him with me. Rogues on the whole tend to have a… more colourful lifestyle," he added with a scratchy purr. Then the purr faded and he returned to a more somber tone. "But it would have been unheard of for a tom who loves toms to ever have become Clan leader, and that's just what Sandstone wanted. So we kept it a secret, he went on to become leader, and we kept on being mates right up until he lost his first life to a bought of greencough. While he was recovering, Deerspots came into his den to give him some medicine while I was in there with him. After that he got paranoid that we'd be found out and told me we had to stop being mates. We kept being friends after that, but… it felt like Sandstar was just putting on a show of friendship. Then when we started getting older, he alienated me completely, and we haven't talked since."

Once he was finally done his long-winded story, Gorsewind slumped deeper into his nest, eyelids drooping. Grasstail blinked, not sure if he should comment. What could he really say to such a story? It seemed insane how such a relationship could fall apart under the wrong circumstances.

Grasstail thought of his own secret relationship. Were all such affairs doomed to failure? If so, maybe it would be better for him to be the one to end it and spare him more pain later on.

Having an apprentice may indeed have made it difficult for Watersplash to get away and see Grasstail, but that didn't make it impossible. They had bumped into each other a few days ago while they'd both been on border patrols and had made plans to meet each other at the broken halfbridge. Watersplash had volunteered to be the night guard, and though she felt guilty about leaving the camp unguarded, what where the chances anyone was actually going to invade? As soon as all her Clanmates had gone to bed, she slunk off toward the lake, tingling with excitement.

It took Grasstail longer to get there than she would normally have expected from him. When he finally did show up, he looked uneasy, and it was apparent that something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" Watersplash murmured as she ran up to greet him. "Did you have trouble getting away?"

"Not exactly," Grasstail mumbled. He ground his jaw, which Watersplash had often chided him about; if he kept that up he'd grind his fangs down so he couldn't bite properly. "Look, Watersplash, I'm not sure we can keep doing this," he muttered. "I mean, you're a mentor now, and I… well, let's just say I've aroused a bit of suspicion lately."

Watersplash blinked in dismay. Hadn't Grasstail been the one who had come to her after staying away from her for so long, saying he had to see her again? And he'd been the first to say "I love you"… He had also been the one to initiate most of the physical interactions between them. Then again, Grasstail was also the one who had told her when they were apprentices that they couldn't be friends anymore. And now he was back at it again, but this time it was more than a friendship he was angling to end…

Unable to find the right words to voice her confused tangle of emotions, Watersplash tried to reason with him the best way she knew. "We can make it work," she meowed, wincing as her voice cracked. "We've made it work for this long. Why should anything change now?"

"But it won't work in the long run," Grasstail muttered. He raked his claws through the ground, stirring up the fallen leaves that littered the area. "We think this is working fine, but it's not really. We can't even… you know… _mate_ with each other, because then we'd run the risk of you getting pregnant and no cat in RiverClan having any reason to think he's the father."

"Is that really the biggest issue with this to you?!" Watersplash demanded incredulously. "Not being able to sleep with me? And here I thought you valued our emotional connection!"

She knew she was overreacting- or at least she hoped she was. Of course Grasstail valued their emotional connection! But he was a young tom, and he couldn't help but want to do certain things with the cat he cared about. If they weren't from different Clans, she'd have no inhibitions about getting more physical with him on a regular basis… wouldn't she?

Truth be told, even the one time they had slept together, Watersplash had mostly gone along with it because she'd known that was what Grasstail had wanted. She hadn't disliked it, but she hadn't gotten as much out of it as she'd expected. Maybe she just hadn't been in the right mood, or maybe she just didn't have sexual feelings. Either way, she did have romantic feelings, and strong ones. Watersplash couldn't understand why Grasstail was wanted to end what they had, and she wasn't about to let it happen.

"You've got bees in your brain," she told him. "What we've got now is fine, and if you're too scared to take the risk that comes with our relationship, I don't know why I even bothered with you in the first place."

Grasstail's eyes flashed and his pelt bristled. "Who are you to talk about risks?" he hissed. "I've _been_ taking that risk for moons! I'd gladly throw away my relationship with my own kin for you! But what have you lost? Nothing, and if this keeps up, I'm afraid that's going to change, and I don't think you'll be able to handle it when a cat who care about finally stops caring."

"You don't think I'll be able to handle loss, huh?" Watersplash spat. Who was Grasstail to think he could get away with being so rude? "I lost my father and both my littermates while I was still in the nursery, you self-centred dungface! My cousin ran away and I had no idea if he was even alive until he showed back up half a moon later with no explanation! What have you ever lost in your life other than all the things you've passed up?!"

Grasstail flinched and Watersplash's chest flared with pride for a moment before she realized how hurt he looked. Had she been too harsh?

"I may not have a sob story like you," he snarled, baring his fangs and digging his claws into the earth, "but don't think for a second I've never lost anything. I don't know if I ever told you this, but my mother died on the day of my warrior assessment. Did you even wonder why I never talked about her?" Grasstail demanded, snapping at Watersplash, who jumped back, hissing. "Or did you just assume I'd driven her away the way I apparently drove everyone away?!"

Watersplash shrank back, ashamed. She'd had no idea that Grasstail's mother had died. She should have apologized right there, and then maybe they could have talked things out. But the knot of rage in her belly drove her to lash out again. "Well, how was I supposed to know that?" she hissed. "You never tell me anything about your kin or friends outside of complaining about them! I'd love to have littermates, and you don't appreciate yours in the slightest!"

"Well, it's not my fault you killed your littermate," Grasstail spat.

That was Watersplash's breaking point. She'd always felt like she'd been partially responsible for Splashkit's death, but being outwardly accused of killing him?! She hadn't meant for him to fall into the river, and she hadn't had a clue that the cold water was going to make him get sick! She'd been a four-moon-old kit, for StarClan's sake!

With a yowl of outrage, Watersplash leapt, claws outstretched, at Grasstail. She tackled him, hot rage stinging her eyes as she felt his fangs sink into her shoulder. They fought, a whirling mass of fangs and claws, and Watersplash's mind seemed to go blank until the world around her disappeared.

She'd been willing to forgive Grasstail at first, but he'd gone too far. This was the end.


	26. Chapter 26

It wasn't supposed to have been like this. Grasstail had only wanted to address the fundamental problems with continuing their relationship. Did Watersplash not _care_ if they got caught?! Maybe she didn't, considering how much all her Clanmates loved her. Even if they found out she'd broken the warrior code, no cat would want to banish or otherwise seriously punish their supposed future saviour. What Watersplash didn't seem to grasp was that Grasstail didn't have that luxury. Even Sandstar had long ago given up the notion that he could be the cat the prophecy spoke of. Grasstail was just as ordinary cat, and he'd face severe consequences if he was found to have been having relations with a RiverClan cat.

When their disagreement began to escalate into a fierce exchange of insults, Grasstail had ridden the wave of building anger, letting his frustration with Watersplash be the driving force behind his words. When she leaped at him, snarling, he realized with a jolt that he had made a huge mistake. Watersplash seemed to realize it too, as she hesitated after pinning him to the ground. Grasstail should have tried to reason with her in that brief pause, but the sting of her claws digging into his shoulders drew a snarl from deep in his throat and he pushed her off, raking his claws down her cheek.

She hissed, her tail fluffed up in outrage. "You rotten crowfood-eater," she spat. "How dare you do that to me?!"

"You attacked me first, beebrain," Grasstail reminded her in a harsh meow. "I was just defending myself."

"You accused me of murder!" Watersplash shot back, her eyes flashing with a deadly glint.

"I did no such thing," Grasstail harrumphed. "You just took it out of context."

"Don't play dumb with me," she spat. "You said I was responsible for my littermate's death."

Grasstail flinched; he had to admit he'd spoken out of line. He didn't really believe that the death of Watersplash's littermate could possibly have been her fault- he knew her, and she would never have intended for such a thing to happen. Even so, pointing out the truth of what had happened hardly counted as an accusation of murder- Watersplash herself had admitted to her own actions having played a part in the kit's death.

Watersplash must have taken his silence as surrender, because her fur flattened out and she slid her claws partway back into her paws- although Grasstail could still see their tips protruding into the ground.

They stood on the marshy ground by the broken halfbridge for a long time, staring at each other. Grasstail kept expecting Watersplash to lunge at him again, and every time he blinked he half-expected to find her suddenly closer to him. But she remained where she was, about a tail-length away, for well past long enough to make it uncomfortable. Grasstail wanted desperately to break the silence, but he couldn't say anything in this situation.

Finally, Watersplash collected herself. "Thank you for your time," she meowed coolly, dipping her head as though Grasstail was a stranger. "I don't expect to be seeing you again anytime soon."

She turned to leave.

"Watersplash, wait," Grasstail blurted, overcome with a swirling miasma of guilt. "I didn't mean it!" She momentarily turned to glance hopefully back at him, but then grimaced and looked away. Not wanting to let the best part of his life walk away so easily, Grasstail hurried after her, matching her pace easily as she stormed through the long grass. "I'm sorry," he meowed, silently begging her to turn and face him. "I don't know what I was thinking. I made a mistake!"

"Go home, Grasstail," Watersplash hissed, angling her muzzle away from him. "We can meet here again tomorrow night and talk this over," she seceded when Grasstail continued trotting after her. "Tonight, I'm done with you."

Grasstail backed down. He'd thought he could convince Watersplash, but she wasn't playing around, and he didn't want to fight her anymore. "Tomorrow night?" he echoed, a spark of hope rising inside him. "Promise?"

Watersplash finally turned to look at him, causing his stomach to do a flip. How could he ever have been so rabbit-brained as to try to push her away?! "I promise," she purred, drawing her tail under his chin. Her purr was empty and vacant, and despite her words, Grasstail couldn't quite bring himself to believe that their relationship was still salvageable after all. Nevertheless, he let her leave this time, and he returned to WindClan, trying to hold onto the hope that they really would meet and talk things over the next night.

Watersplash drew in one shaky breath after another, trying not to let her whiskers quiver too much. She didn't want to give away how distraught she was, especially not to Smokefur- or Beavertail, for that matter. She just wanted to sink into her nest- or better yet, sink into the ground and disappear forever. How could things have gone so wrong in such a short amount of time?

"Are you okay?" Smokefur meowed gently, resting his tail on her back for comfort. "No offense, but you kind of look like a mess."

"I'm fine," Watersplash sniffled, burying her face in her paws and curling up into an even tighter ball.

"You don't look it," Smokefur muttered. Watersplash could tell he was trying hard to hide it, but she heard an edge of worry creep into his tone. She realized how devastating it must have been to have had Patchfur go missing at the same time as a ShadowClan cat. Had he connected the dots and determined that they'd run away together? Or did he still have no idea if his brother was even alive? Watersplash wondered if he was worried about the same thing happening to her.

 _If that's the case, he may as well set his worries aside_ , she thought. _There's no way Grasstail and I have a future together. Not after last night._

"Please just leave me alone," she mewed, cringing as she realized she sounded like a kit. Smokefur sighed but complied; he exited the warriors' den and left Watersplash to wallow in her self-pity. _Good,_ she thought.

Watersplash remained alone in the den, crying into her nest, for the rest of the morning. Her stomach protested loudly, but the thought of food make her feel sick. At one point Shellsong popped in to check on her, muttering that she was worried, and dropped half a small pike at Watersplash's paws. Watersplash bleakly muttered a thank-you and sniffed at the offering but couldn't bring herself to take a bite, pushing it aside so she wouldn't have to look at it.

Hoping to StarClan that no cat could hear her, she shouted into her nest, muffling her tearful snarls with soft moss and feathers. "That… that… _fish-brain_!" she yelled, spitting out the last word like it was a much worse insult than it was. "I hate him! I wish he'd die!"

Even as the words escaped her mouth, Watersplash knew she didn't mean what she said. Grasstail had made a mistake. So what? She'd made plenty mistakes of her own. Sure, Grasstail's mistakes were usually _worse_ , but…

Maybe the really frustrating thing wasn't Grasstail. Maybe it was the fact that Watersplash still loved him.

Sometimes in the early afternoon, Minnowleap poked her head in, wrinkling her nose when she saw the pike Watersplash had pushed aside. "It's a shame to waste perfectly good fresh-kill like that, isn't it?" she sniffed, padding into the den and staring down at Watersplash. "Shellsong told me she caught that just for you."

"Then why was it already half-eaten when she gave it to me?" Watersplash grumbled, pointedly ignoring the fact that her mother had barged in without any warning.

Minnowleap narrowed her eyes and gave a quick flick of her tail. "Anyway, I came in here to remind you of your duties as a mentor, which you seem to have forgotten," she meowed, dropping the subject of the pike entirely. "Emberpaw is counting on you to take her out for battle training today. So stop lazing around, get out of that nest, and go fetch your apprentice!"

Watersplash groaned. Sometimes she wished she didn't have an apprentice. She still did what she was told of course, but it was a serious challenge for her to hoist herself out of her nest, and she felt like she was dragging herself over to the apprentices' den to wake up Emberpaw.

Once she was out in the wilderness, she had to admit that she started to feel better. It felt good to get some fresh air and clear her head, and she decided that she'd have something to eat when they got back- by that point she'd practically be starving. Everything that had gone down with Grasstail still weighed heavy on her shoulders, even if for a moment or two she could forget it, but maybe it was best that he was out of her life now. Watersplash needed to be the best warrior possible, and she couldn't do that if she was breaking the warrior code. Now that she wouldn't have a tom in her life anymore, she could concentrate on bettering herself and serving her Clan, like she was supposed to.

Even so, during the battle training, she found it hard to stay energized, and Emberpaw ended up scrambling all over her, winning even when Watersplash was supposed to be demonstrating how to use a move. Her mind kept returning to her and Grasstail's brief but heart-wrenching exchange of blows. What if she'd seriously hurt him?! She hadn't, or course, but it would have been so easy in the heat of the moment to bite down too hard, or sink her claws in too deep…

"Can you show me how to fight in the water?" Emberpaw's mew broke through the fog that had settled around Watersplash's perception. "I wanna know how to drown somebody! Only if I have to, though," she added quickly.

"That's a bit morbid, isn't it?" Watersplash mumbled. "The warrior code explicitly states that we shouldn't kill other cats unless it's strictly necessary. There are sometimes deaths in battles, of course, but most of the time fatalities are unintentional- it's what separates a warrior from a rogue."

Emberpaw flicked her tail dismissively. "Okay, I guess I don't have to drown them," she conceded. "But can I at least learn how to fight off an attacker in the water?"

"I don't think you'll ever need to do that," Watersplash meowed. "Not a cat, in any case. Only RiverClan cats know how to swim, and unless we ever have a traitor among us, fighting in the water just isn't a necessary skill."

"Aww," Emberpaw muttered, her stubby tail drooping. "But it'd be so cool to fight them underwater! It would be like when Smokepaw and I play around in the stream, but even better!"

Watersplash decided to change the subject. She was too tired for a conversation with Emberpaw- those tended to go in circles. "Do you want to learn how to throw off a larger attacker?" she suggested instead. "This is a vital skill, not only for larger cats, but also predators like badgers or foxes."

Emberpaw meowed a reluctant agreement, and Watersplash pinned her down and instructed her on how to throw her off. Even with claws sheathed, Emberpaw's blows were painful, and Watersplash bit back a yowl of pain as a tiny hind paw dug into her stomach. Battle training had never hurt before. What was wrong with her?!

It really shouldn't have come as a surprise that Watersplash wasn't at the halfbridge. Grasstail had only half-expected her to remember, anyway. But expected or not, it didn't feel good to sneak away to the halfbridge and not find her waiting for him. He waited for her for some time, but as moonhigh drew near it became clear she wasn't coming.

Maybe the word was disappointing. Grasstail hadn't felt disappointed in a very long time, because he never got his hopes up. He didn't think he'd turn out to be anything special, so he didn't bat an eye when his life was dull and predictable. He'd known, despite Podtail's display of hopefulness, that Owlwing would die after being bitten by an adder, so it hadn't come as the crushing blow that it had to his littermates when his prediction proved to be accurate. It had still hurt to lose his mother, but he'd known it was going to happen, and there had been nothing he could have done about it. Bad things happened; that was just how life was.

The initial day after their fight he'd tried to hold on to the thread of hope that they might still have a chance of reconciling, and had gone down to the lake to fetch water for Gorsewind when he'd been asked.

He hadn't been able to bring himself to look at the elder as he layed down the dripping moss next to him. It was all because of Gorsewind's story that he had tried to break things off with Watersplash in the first place. Maybe all relationships really were doomed to fail. Grasstail had never been convinced of true love's existence until he'd thought he'd been experiencing it himself, but since it was over now, what was what telling him? If even something as good as what they'd had could end so abruptly, it looked like nothing mattered after all.

After going down to the twoleg halfbridge and finding that Watersplash had forgotten her promise to meet him there again- again, not exactly surprising, but still unpleasant to find out he was right- Grasstail stopped even pretending to care about anything. He remained in his nest for the entire day, only leaving once to make dirt and then coming back as soon as he was done. Berryheart expressed her concern very vocally, but he held his paws over his ears so he couldn't hear her. Appleshine simply glared at him, and he knew she was judging him. Whatever. She had every right to judge him. He was worthless.

The next few days passed in mostly the same manner. Grasstail hadn't eaten at all the day before, so Rabbitleap brought him part of a rabbit and insisted he eat it. Grasstail pushed it away, but his father was firm, practically threatening to punish him unless he ate. "You can't tell me what to do," Grasstail muttered."I'm not a kit."

"No, but you're _my_ kit," Rabbitleap meowed sternly. "And if you're not going to leave that nest, the least I can do is make sure you don't starve to death."

Grasstail ended up taking a couple bites out of the rabbit, out of guilt more than anything. He knew his father meant well, but couldn't he see that this was Grasstail's problem alone? No cat could fix what had gone wrong- what _he'd_ made go wrong. The best thing that would ever happen to Grasstail was gone, and he knew she wouldn't be coming back to him- not after what he'd said to her.

His Clanmates kept badgering him, of course. Berryheart would try to talk to him when she settled in next to him in the evening, and though Appleshine would still turn with a humph and face the other way, even she tried to coax him out of his nest form time to time. It seemed like every cat was suddenly on his case- Seedpelt, Barkstripe, even Spikeear of all cats. Even Sandstar himself came to talk to Grasstail once- no doubt just trying to get him to start actively serving WindClan again. It was a pointless effort. Grasstail had no reason to serve such a weak and pathetic Clan.

"Grasstail, I've noticed you haven't joined any patrols lately," Sandstar began, speaking very gently as if Grasstail were a kit he didn't want to upset. "In fact, it's been days since you've set paw outside camp at all. Roseflower is finding it difficult to organize patrols when we're down a warrior."

"Roseflower is finding it difficult to organize patrols because she's going senile," Grasstail spat. "She probably can't remember which cats are alive and which cats are dead."

Sandstar's sunken eyes darkened. "Watch your tongue," he warned. "Roseflower is your senior by countless seasons."

Grasstail snorted, which only made Sandstar's disapproving look deepen. "Yeah, I know how old she is," he scoffed. "That's exactly the problem."

He hoped Sandstar would be offended enough to just leave right then and there, but the leader was a stubborn old fleabag. He launched into some contrived, rabbit-brained speech about how every cat was vital to the well-being of their Clan. Grasstail blocked most of it out, and was glad when Sandstar finally left him alone. He wished every cat would just leave him alone.

It was only a few minutes later that Podtail padded into the warriors' den and sat down next to him. Grasstail groaned. "What is it now?"

"I just spoke with Sandstar," Podtail meowed darkly. "We both agree- all of your Clanmates do- that you have a serious problem, Grasstail."

"Yeah, yeah." Grasstail twitched his tail irritably, hoping the medicine cat would take a hint and stop bothering him. "What, are you going to kick me out of WindClan or something?" he added dryly. He didn't think that would really happen, but even if it did he honestly wouldn't care that much.

Podtail's shoulders heaved with a heavy sigh- a funny sight on his thin frame. "We won't banish you. In fact, you're not going to be punished at all- something you can thank me for, by the way," he meowed. "Sandstar wanted to hold you accountable for your behavior, but I told him it's not really your fault."

Grasstail sat up a little, intrigued- or at least as intrigued as he could be by anything. "Could you get to the point, please?" he grumbled.

"I'm diagnosing you with depression." Podtail's meow was so clipped and professional that Grasstail was stunned. Sure, he'd told the medicine cat to get to the point, but… "Now, depression can't be treated as easily as a broken bone or a case of whitecough," Podtail continued. "But I can give you some herbs that will help you function as an active warrior."

Grasstail wasn't too keen on the idea of eating a bunch of herbs to make him act normal or whatever, but he got the feeling Podtail wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Fine," he grunted. "Just leave me along for now, okay?"

"Of course," Podtail meowed with a dip of his head. Grasstail was pleasantly surprised when he left without tossing in a few last-minute words of encouragement. Maybe the medicine cat wasn't so bad after all.


	27. Chapter 27

A thin glaze of ice covered the stream, already broken up and dissolving in places, but there nonetheless. It was the first ice Watersplash had seen since leaf-bare, and she knew that it wouldn't be too long before the lake territories were covered by snow once more.

Emberpaw sneezed, her orange-and-black fur sticking up like thorns on a branch. Snakepaw purred loudly, mimicking her sneeze and eliciting snickers from Coalpaw and Smokepaw. Emberpaw fake-hissed at her brother, who then raised his paw as though to swipe at her. Smokefur, who was Snakepaw's mentor, gave his apprentice a warning look, and the feisty tabby lowered his paw as quickly as he'd raised it.

Watersplash, Smokefur, Oakleaf, and Antleg- a black she-cat with a splash of reddish-brown on her back that Watersplash had never really talked to- had all taking their apprentices out for battle training by the stream. The four littermates hadn't gotten much of a chance to train together, mostly since Antleg was a senior warrior and felt uncomfortable spending time with the three younger warriors, so all the apprentices were very excited. Snakepaw in particular was acting up a lot, and Smokefur was having a bit of trouble keeping him in line. _Been there_ , Watersplash had thought. Luckily for her, however, Emberpaw had straightened herself out a lot in the two and a half moons it had been since Watersplash had broken up with Grasstail.

Emberpaw had never found out why Watersplash had been so upset that day and in the days following it, of course- no cat had. Minnowleap had acted very strangely around her at first, and Watersplash had feared her mother knew, but it was never brought up. For a while she'd considered telling Smokefur or Shellsong, but had decided against it. It was over now; there was no need to tell her Clanmates that she'd broken the warrior code when it wasn't even relevant anymore.

"So, how's Mallowheart?" Watersplash meowed to Oakleaf as their apprentices tussled. "I haven't seen her much lately. Do you think she's avoiding me?"

Oakleaf shrugged. "I dunno," he muttered. "I mean, you know her, right? She's all shy and stuff. You should talk to her and find out."

Watersplash nodded thoughtfully, and then turned her attention back to the battle training. Emberpaw and Smokepaw were facing off, while Coalpaw was up against Snakepaw. Smokefur kept having to remind Snakepaw not to use claws, while Antleg seemed frustrated at Coalpaw's fairly lackluster performance. Smokepaw and Emberpaw were much more evenly matched, and Watersplash felt a thrill of pride every time her apprentice came out on top of her brother.

"Push out from under her if she pins you down," Oakleaf called to Smokepaw, who nodded before thrusting against Emberpaw's weight. He pushed her off and she tumbled to the ground, letting out a mew of surprise.

"Get back on your paws," Watersplash encouraged her. "Don't give up after just one setback."

Emberpaw lunged at Smokepaw again, but this time the pale gray tom was ready for her. He reared up on his hind legs and brought himself down on her. She rolled out from under him with a squeak, but he pounced on her before she could get away. Smokepaw pretended to bring his fangs to Emberpaw's throat, stopping when his muzzle was at her chin. "I win," he proclaimed.

"Good job," Oakleaf purred, padding over to congratulate his apprentice.

Emberpaw looked a little dejected, so Watersplash reassured her that she didn't have to win every time. "Besides, you'll get better," she meowed. "It's not like you always have to do everything right or anything."

"No, that honour goes to you," Oakleaf broke in, a twinkle in his hazel eyes. They were just green enough to remind Watersplash a bit of looking into Grasstail's eyes, and regret swelled in her chest as she watched Oakleaf blink at her. She quickly swallowed it down as the lithe brown tom continued, "After all, you _are_ the cat with the prophecy about her, aren't you?"

"I guess I am," Watersplash purred. The fur on the back of her neck began to stand on end, but she willed it to lie flat. There was nothing wrong with Oakleaf; he was a perfectly nice cat. "I guess with all the stuff that's happened to me, I've kind of forgotten that I'm supposed to be some kind of saviour of the Clans- or saviour of something, at least. It might not turn out to be that large-scale."

Oakleaf's eyes twinkled as he took a couple steps closer to Watersplash. "All the stuff that's happened, huh?" he meowed. "You mean like becoming a warrior, Patchfur going missing, getting an apprentice…?"

"And other things," she said. _And everything that happened with Grasstail_.

"Other things, you say?" Oakleaf echoed, his tail twitching curiously. "Like what kind of things?"

"Oh, you know," Watersplash meowed briskly, suddenly wishing she'd just kept her muzzle shut. "Things. Stuff. Relationships."

 _Relationships?! Why in StarClan's name did I say that?!_ Watersplash berated herself. What if Oakleaf got suspicious and figured out that for more than a season, she'd been seeing a WindClan cat?! Her life as she knew it would be over.

Fortunately, Oakleaf seemed not to have picked up on it. He turned back to Smokepaw, who was splashing about in the stream with Snakepaw and Emberpaw while Coalpaw hung back despite Antleg encouraging him to join them.

"It's pretty cool to have an apprentice," Oakleaf murmured. "It's like it solidified the fact that I'm a warrior. I said that to Shellsong when Smokepaw first got assigned to me, but she didn't seem to get it- maybe because Miststar didn't give her a 'paw of her own. When she gets to train one herself, she might understand."

"Maybe so," Watersplash mumbled. She hated to admit it- he was her friend, after all- but she was starting to get a little uncomfortable with all the attention from Oakleaf. This hadn't been the first time he'd picked her out of a group to talk to, and Shellsong had reported that he talked about her a lot among his littermates.

"He totally likes you," the pale tabby she-cat had said. "I mean, who can blame him, right? I'd totally have a crush on you if I was into she-cats."

Watersplash hadn't been so sure. "How can you know that for certain?" she'd asked. "It doesn't seem like he's any closer to me than he is to you and Mallowheart."

"Yeah, but we're _littermates_!" Shellsong had pointed out. "If he's paying that much attention to a cat who's not kin, he must be in love with you!"

"Well, 'love' is a strong word," Watersplash had muttered darkly- a bit too darkly for Shellsong's taste, apparently, as she'd quickly changed the topic to hunting. Now that Oakleaf was talking to Watersplash again, she was starting to think her friend may have been right.

The question was, did Watersplash _want_ him to like her- and was there the slightest chance she liked him back?

Life was pointless. Everything was fox dung, and every cat was either a mange-pelt or a rabbit-brain. There was no point in living. Not without her.

Appleshine had stormed into the den just now and yelled that it had been almost three moons now, that Grasstail had no reason to still be moping around. Had it been that long? It didn't feel like it had been almost three moons. It didn't even feel like it had been one moon. It felt like it had been just the day before, and it felt like it had been a lifetime ago. Watersplash didn't love Grasstail anymore- or even if she did somehow still care about him just a tiny bit, she had to hate him far more than she loved him. Worse yet, Grasstail didn't love Watersplash anymore, but he wanted to. Either that or he did still love her and didn't want to. He honestly couldn't tell.

Did it matter? Of course not. They weren't together anymore, and that was all that mattered. They would never be together again.

Time passed in a different way than it had before they'd broken up. Every day dragged out to the point of feeling like an eternity, and yet it all blended together so that it felt like only a few days had passed in the span of a moon. Grasstail could barely ever get out of his nest in the mornings- most days he was lucky to get out of his nest at all. Podtail had tried to make him move into the medicine den, but Grasstail had refused. He didn't want to be bathed in the scent of herbs at all hours.

On the rare days he felt good enough to get up, he made an effort to contribute to his Clan at least a little bit- because WindClan was his Clan, whether he liked it or not. Seedpelt had been able to coax him into joining a patrol a couple of times, and Grasstail had volunteered to check Gorsewind for ticks a few times. It wasn't pleasant, but nothing in life was pleasant anymore. The taste of mouse bile wasn't half as bitter as Grasstail was inside. Besides, he liked hearing Gorsewind talk about his time as Sandstar's mate. It was good to know that he wasn't the first cat to have loved so deeply and to have had that love fall apart.

Podtail's herbs worked… okay, he supposed. But that was only when he took them. Grasstail didn't like the way they tasted, and he didn't like what they did to his body. Maybe if Podtail had forced him to take the herbs every day, Grasstail would be recovering from his crushing depression, and he'd already be feeling much better. Maybe that was the way things were in some alternate universe. And maybe in another alternate universe, Grasstail hadn't been such a jerk and he and Watersplash were still together. None of that mattered, because he was stuck right where and when he was.

On a particularly bad day, one where Grasstail could not force himself to get out of his nest, and did not care enough to feel too upset about it, Berryheart kept him company. She kept talking to him, but Grasstail just couldn't bring himself to engage her in a conversation. He could hardly bring himself to move at all, let along speak. Berryheart didn't become discouraged and leave, however- not like every one of his other Clanmates had done at least once at some point.

It was at times like those that Grasstail appreciated his littermate. Appleshine pretended to be furious with him about having broken the warrior code, which she'd never technically found out about but had more or less known for a long time, but Grasstail didn't think she was mad at him anymore- at least not mad about that. He thought she was frightened by his depression, and the fact that he hadn't bounced back like she had probably expected. Seedpelt gave Grasstail words of encouragement, and said positive things to him, but he couldn't really have understood. Barkstripe kept her distance, spending more and more time with Appleshine. Grasstail wondered if they were officially mates yet. He kind of hoped they were. Surely some cats deserved to be happy together, even if they weren't he and Watersplash.

When Podtail came in, carrying a bundle of herbs wrapped up in a leaf, Berryheart scampered out of the den. Grasstail wanted to say goodbye to her, and thank her for talking to him, but he just… couldn't. Instead, he lay there in his nest like he was dead. He almost wished he _was_ dead. Hey, why not? It wasn't like his life was going to get any better. Even if he stopped feeling like mouse-dung, what more would StarClan really have in store for him? Grasstail was never going to be leader or deputy, and he wasn't part of any fancy prophecy like Watersplash. He'd probably never fall in love again, either. It would just be dull, exhausting routine until he died. Why delay that by however many seasons it would be? Why not just stop living now and get it over with?

"Hello, Grasstail," Podtail meowed, setting down his herbs. "How are you feeling today?"

Grasstail knew he owed the medicine cat an answer. He owed him a lot. He owed all of his Clanmates so much for putting up with him for so long. But he couldn't give it to them, and that was exactly the problem.

Podtail must have taken his lack of an answer as an answer in and of itself. "Well, no matter," he muttered. He unwrapped the pile of herbs and pushed them toward Grasstail. "Go on; eat up."

"Hhhgg…" was the best response Grasstail could manage. He gingerly nipped at a leaf of thyme. While he was eating his herbs, wanting to gag the whole time, Podtail tidied up the area around his nest. Even though Grasstail didn't have the energy to express it, he was immensely grateful for everything the medicine cat had done for him, and he hated himself for making it all a waste.

Thyme, chamomile, sorrel, and some honey to make it all go down easier- pretty basic stuff for the most part, and it was the combination that seemed to have worked the best so far. Podtail had tried adding other things, like some goatweed and feverfew that he'd gotten from RiverClan, and Juniper berries, which had helped a little but had made Grasstail nauseous when combined with everything else.

The truth, which Podtail had admitted after Grasstail had started eating his herbs on a moderately regular basis and had seen not much if any improvement, was that there were no herbs for depression. There were herbs that would calm cats and herbs that would give cats energy, but nothing that could make Grasstail go back to the way he was before. The only way that was going to happen was if Grasstail had the strength to tough it out.

As optimistic as his Clanmates may have been, Grasstail knew he wasn't strong enough to beat out the cloud of darkness that had settled over him. Maybe it really would be better if he were dead.

Watersplash still missed Grasstail from time to time. Okay, that was a lie; she missed him a lot. But she'd learned to live without him. Most of the time she got so caught up in whatever she was doing and whoever she was doing it with that she forgot to miss him.

The night of the first Gathering after they broke up, Watersplash had faked a cough and stayed home. The second time, she'd gotten sick for real, and though she'd quickly recovered, it has served as yet another reminder that leaf-bare was coming. But now the full moon had come around for the third time, and Watersplash was going to the Gathering despite how much dread she carried in her belly. In a way, she was almost kind of looking forward to seeing Grasstail. It would be the worst thing ever, but also the best just to catch a glimpse of him again, even if she didn't get a chance to talk to him.

By the time RiverClan got to the clearing on the island, WindClan was already there. Watersplash immediately ran up to Appleshine and Barkstripe, who had their tails intertwined. Grasstail wasn't with them- he might have stayed behind, or he might have just been hanging back from his Clanmates. Either way, she could at least find out how he was doing.

"Hi, is Grasstail here tonight?" she meowed. "I haven't seen him in quite some time."

Appleshine snorted contemptuously. "Neither have I- at least, not outside of his nest," she meowed curtly. "I can only assume I've got you to thank for that."

Watersplash was confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head. "…Grasstail's not hurt, is he?"

"He's not physically hurt, but something's very wrong with him," Barkstripe muttered darkly. "Podtail says he's depressed."

"Depressed?" Watersplash echoed, her tail drooping. What exactly did that constitute? From what she understood, it was basically just another word for "sad". But how would that prevent him from leaving his nest? Watersplash had been sad too, but she had moved on with her life well enough. The notion that Grasstail might not have had never crossed her mind. She'd wondered how hung up on her he was, of course, but to think that it could have been that bad…

Barkstripe explained that Grasstail had changed in the past couple moons. She said he didn't have the energy to do anything anymore, at least not most of the time. Appleshine stood beside Barkstripe- were they mates now?- and didn't say anything. Watersplash still didn't totally understand how Grasstail could have just… stopped being able to do things. Couldn't he just try to be happier? Couldn't he just think about the things he liked to cheer him up? Couldn't some cat just make him get out of his nest and do stuff even if he wasn't happy about it? It didn't seem logical.

Watersplash thought about that a lot through the rest of the night. She hardly even noticed when the other Clans arrived, and she could barely pay attention to anything any of the leaders said. All she could think of was Grasstail. Had he fallen into depression because of her?! He must have. It was all her fault. She felt so guilty about it that she couldn't think of anything else.

After the leaders had finished speaking, it was time to leave. Oakleaf walked beside Watersplash on the way home, making idle conversation with her about the Gathering. He flicked some mud at her when she failed at keeping up the conversation- she was too downcast to really give much mind to the brown-furred tom. However, Oakleaf was persistent, and he bumped up against Watersplash with a teasing purr. Watersplash's face grew hot under her fur. She was starting to think Shellsong might have been right about him after all.

"You're in love with a cat from another Clan, aren't you?" he meowed suddenly when they had reached the camp. Every other cat headed for their dens, but Oakleaf and Watersplash lingered beneath a scatter of saplings. "Don't try to deny it," he added as Watersplash flinched. "Your whole demeanor keeps changing, and tonight you're miserable. You're in love."

Watersplash swallowed hard, but it didn't do anything about the lump in her throat. "I'm not…" she began, but Oakleaf cut her off with a flick of his tail.

"Whatever you're about to say, don't bother," he meowed matter-of-factly. "I've been suspicious for a while now- my whole life, actually, but it only really started when you got so upset out of the blue around three moons ago. It was because of them, isn't it- the cat you like?"

"I don't like any cat from another Clan," Watersplash hissed. She didn't like how close Oakleaf was getting to the truth. "You're making it up."

She fully expected Oakleaf to give her some crushing retort, but instead he shook his pelt out and gave his chest a few licks. "Well, you can't fool me, but that's okay," he told her. "No other cat has to know. Besides, it won't matter after tonight."

"Why not?" Watersplash asked, her pelt prickling with apprehension. There was something about the way Oakleaf approached, his hazel eyes narrowed, but not in an angry manner. "I said why not," she repeated, a bit louder this time in hopes of attracting her other Clanmates' attentions. "Oakleaf, what are you planning on-"

She was cut off as another muzzle was pressed against her own. Oakleaf drew his tongue around her fangs and she shuddered, backing away. It didn't do any good; Oakleaf placed his front paws on hers, digging his claws in just the tiniest bit. He bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Watersplash let out a muffled shriek, and she bit back aggressively, snapping at his muzzle. He drew it away and she thought he had come to his senses, but instead he pounced on her like she was prey and pinned her down.

Watersplash struggled beneath him, scrabbling at his belly. Oakleaf closed his eyes and purred, lowering himself down toward her. She scratched him on the shoulder and he jerked away, cursing, before bringing his claws down on her. Watersplash raised her paws to protect herself, hissing as Oakleaf's claw tore into her left ear.

"Why are you fighting me?" Oakleaf demanded. "I'm trying to help you get over that WindClan dirtbag!"

 _WindClan?_ Watersplash gasped. "How did you know what Clan he's in?!"

"Oh, I know more than you could ever know," Oakleaf purred. It was a menacing purr- the type that made Watersplash's skin crawl. "Grasstail, isn't it? The green one. I've gotta say, Watersplash, you sure know how to pick 'em."

Watersplash drew in a sharp breath. Oakleaf's whiskers quivered with amusement as he leaned into her. He knew. Oakleaf knew about Grasstail. How did he know?!

"Get away from me!" Watersplash screeched. With all her might, she extended her hind legs with enough force to send Oakleaf flying. He skidded in the dirt, kicking up a swirl of dust and leaf litter.

"That was a mistake," he hissed, wiping blood from the corner of his muzzle. "You'll live to regret this, Watersplash- mark my words."

He went into the warriors' den. Needless to say, Watersplash didn't feel very comfortable sleeping there that night, knowing that he was only a few tail-lengths away. _This is terrible_ , she thought as she curled her tail around her nose. _What am I going to do?!_


	28. Chapter 28

It was a good day- not only in terms of Grasstail's energy levels, but it was also an unexpected late-leaf-fall heat wave. The sweltering heat beat down on Grasstail, but he was too happy about simply being able to go outside that day to notice it. He'd felt more energized than he could remember feeling in moons. Maybe Podtail's herbs were finally starting to work.

He knew he'd more or less remained in his nest for the past four moons, but he still wished Seedpelt hadn't looked quite so surprised to find Grasstail pawing through the fresh-kill pile. The brown tom had practically keeled over in shock, only to quickly gather himself and try to act like it was still a normal occurrence to see Grasstail up and about.

"Uh, m-morning, Grasstail," he stammered. He dipped his head as though Grasstail were some super-important cat instead of being Seedpelt's junior by six moons. "It's, uh… nice to see you."

Grasstail knew he owed his friend an answer, but it was a miracle he was even out of his nest. He didn't want to tire himself out right away by being too social. Still, he lifted his head from the fresh-kill pile, which he'd been concentrating on intently (choosing a piece of prey was hard) and gave Seedpelt a blink of acknowledgement.

"…Still not very talkative, I see." There was disappointment in Seedpelt's meow. Grasstail was kind of disappointed not to be feeling even better than he was as well, but at that point he'd given up on being instantly cured of his depression, so he was happy to take what he could get. "That doesn't matter," Seedpelt added when Grasstail dropped his gaze back to the fresh-kill pile. "I can do all the talking- get you caught up on everything that's been going on, like, socially."

Grasstail twitched his ears to signal that he was listening, but he kept looking down. He didn't want to look up at the sky; the sun was too bright. Eventually he settled on a scrawny shrew- he didn't want to eat anything too big in case he threw it up later. That didn't seem likely on a day like that one, but Grasstail didn't want to take chances. His Clanmates deserved the bigger pieces of prey more than he did.

"Lilyflower is getting weaker again, but her kits are growing bigger every day. Appleshine and Barkstripe have started sleeping in the same nest, and… oh, yeah! The Gathering a few nights ago was pretty standard- just like last moon's, pretty much, but this time there was a bit of a scuffle between a couple of RiverClan cats- a mother and daughter, it looked like," Seedpelt chattered as Grasstail gnawed on his shrew. He'd already heard all of this from Appleshine a few days ago, but he didn't want to put Seedpelt down. His friend was trying his best, and Grasstail really did appreciate that. "Miststar put a stop to it before it could get out of hand. The daughter seemed really upset, so I tried talking to her after the Gathering was over. And then- oh, StarClan, Grasstail, this is just the craziest thing- remember when we were young and we went down to the lake when it was frozen?"

A chunk of shrew lodged in Grasstail's throat as he gulped and he coughed. Seedpelt hovered over him in concern, resting his tail on Grasstail's back. "I'm fine," Grasstail assured him once his coughing fit had subsided. "But… what were you saying about the cat at the Gathering?"

Appleshine hadn't told him who the cats were. He'd assumed they'd been no one he knew, because he'd have thought Appleshine would have mentioned if it was. _Apparently not,_ Grasstail thought.

"Oh… okay. Well, do you remember that time, don't you? When I almost drowned," Seedpelt supplied without really giving Grasstail the chance to nod- because he did remember, obviously. How could he ever forget? "You know the cat who saved me- Waterpaw? She's a warrior now. I mean, of course she'd be a warrior now- it's been almost a year! It doesn't feel like it's been that long, does it? Anyway, her name is Watersplash, and she's actually super nice! I talked to her for a bit and she told me a Clanmate of hers had done something really bad to her the last time she went to a Gathering- like, really bad- probably against the warrior code. She'd been too scared at first to tell her leader, but then she made a plan and waited a whole moon to announce it at the Gathering so every cat would know about the cat who did the bad thing to her."

There were a lot of things for Grasstail to take away from Seedpelt's story. Yet somehow, he chose to zero in on something to criticize. Was it because Grasstail was a total piece of mouse-dung even when his Clanmates were so nice to him? Yeah, probably.

"'Bad thing'?" Grasstail asked mockingly. "Seedpelt, I may be mentally ill-"

"You're not mentally ill," Seedpelt interjected.

"I have depression, rabbit-brain!" Grasstail snorted, surprised to feel a purr rumbling in his throat. Seedpelt looked pleasantly surprised to see Grasstail purr, even if Grasstail himself hadn't been expecting it. It was a nice little moment, but it only lasted a second. Then Grasstail collected himself and continued, "Anyway, I'm not a kit. You can just say what the cat did to her."

The levity was wiped clean from Seedpelt's face. He hesitated before speaking with a lowered voice: "Watersplash said a tom from her Clan tried to make her mate with him when she didn't want to."

" _What?!_ " Grasstail hissed, digging his claws into the ground. "Seedpelt, are you saying Watersplash was assaulted?!"

"I… I mean, yeah. Sure. I guess," Seedpelt meowed, suddenly seeming incredibly awkward. He backed away a bit from Grasstail. "I mean, yeah, that is what she said. But, uh… no offense, but…"

"Why do I care?" Grasstail guessed.

Seedpelt gulped and nodded.

Grasstail couldn't answer- and not because of his low energy this time. He simply exhaled sharply through his nostrils and gulped down the last morsels of his shrew. Seedpelt didn't say anything more, and Grasstail was oddly glad. Seedpelt was great- Grasstail appreciated him now more than ever- but just like any other cat, he could never know about Grasstail and Watersplash.

He would never understand.

It had been five days, and Watersplash still didn't know what she'd been thinking. She doubted the strange looks her Clanmates had been giving her would ever go away, and she was positive that Minnowleap hated her now. She didn't understand why her mother had been so angry- like it was Watersplash who had hurt Oakleaf, not the other way around. Shellsong was rightly furious that Watersplash had gotten her brother in trouble, and Mallowheart must have been too- she refused to speak with Watersplash, and only a total fish-brain would believe it was just because she was shy.

None of her friends were there for her anymore, when she needed it the most. Oakleaf had tried to force himself on her, and his littermates were acting like it was Watersplash's fault. Smokefur insisted he didn't blame her, but he didn't even seem to care. It seemed to Watersplash that maybe only Patchfur had really liked her as a real friend, and Smokefur had just put up with her. Ever since Patchfur had run away with Birchstripe, Smokefur never approached Watersplash, and when she approached him first he gave her little input.

Emberpaw was a lot better than any of Watersplash's other Clanmates in terms of understanding, but ironically enough, it was because she didn't really understand at all. She'd asked Watersplash on the day after her confession what exactly Oakleaf had done- the orange-and-black apprentice may have matured a lot since Watersplash had started training her, but she was still young, and didn't understand things like assault. Not willing to explain it, Watersplash had simply said that Oakleaf had attacked her- because really, that was what he'd done, right? Since then, Emberpaw had snarled at Oakleaf every time she saw him, and Watersplash had to admit it made her feel a bit better.

Still, having a loyal apprentice wasn't the same as having a proper friend her own age. Watersplash needed some cat who would fully understand and support her. She wished Patchfur would come back.

Sadly, Watersplash didn't get her wish. She did, however, get something better, in a sense. It certainly wasn't something she'd been expecting, but at the same time, it felt like it was inevitable.

Watersplash had asked to go on a walk by herself to clear her head and get away from her Clanmates for a bit. Miststar had allowed her, and she'd run out of camp like her pelt had been on fire. Now, Watersplash was loping along beside the river and keeping a steady pace. She closed her eyes against the sun and headed down to the lake. She didn't really make a conscious choice to go there; it was almost like her paws were carrying her there against her will. It wasn't like she was against the prospect; she just hadn't really planned on going anywhere in particular. _Ah, the lake, then_ , she thought when the smell of it hit her nose. _That's nice._

"Hey."

Watersplash froze in her tracks. She jerked her muzzle around, blinking in disbelief at the cat sitting on the shore.

"G…Grasstail?" Watersplash meowed, mouth dry. She blinked several times, each time half-expecting him to disappear when she opened them again. That didn't happen. He was really there. "Oh, StarClan," Watersplash cried, her breath catching in her throat as she rushed over to him. "Grasstail, what are you doing here?!"

"I…" Grasstail's voice hitched. He cleared his throat and spoke again, but his voice came out as barely audible, and Watersplash had to be right up next to him to hear him. Even then, she could barely hear him over the pounding of her own heart. "I heard what happened to you, Watersplash," Grasstail croaked. "My friend Seedpelt told me about it."

Watersplash's stomach sank. "You know about Oakleaf?"

Grasstail nodded solemnly. Watersplash was filled with a million different emotions as she took in his skinny frame and dull, matted pelt. He looked so different form the last time she'd seen him- she could easily count his ribs, and his lowered gaze made it hard for her to look him in the eye. When she did, she found that their green wasn't nearly as sharp and dazzling as before. And yet, despite all of that, she loved him- now more than ever. How could she still love him?! And did he still love her?

Watersplash had to know.

"I love you, Grasstail," she blurted. Grasstail drew in a sharp breath as Watersplash leaned into his chest, pressing her muzzle into his matted fur. She took in a deep whiff of his scent- it stank of dirt and rot and neglect, but it was still… Grasstail. The cat she loved. The cat she had never stopped and would never stop loving.

It took Grasstail a long time to answer. In that time, Watersplash expected him to push her away, to tell her to stop being so selfish. How could she say something like that to him after all this time? If what that cat Barkstripe had said was true, then there was something seriously wrong with Grasstail- and Watersplash was acting like she was the real victim!

And yet, when Grasstail finally did answer, he didn't sound angry. His meow was calm as he said, "I still love you, too. I… I just didn't think you still returned the feeling."

"Oh, Grasstail," Watersplash murmured. "Of course I do. And I swear to StarClan I never meant to hurt you like I did."

"It wasn't your fault, Watersplash," Grasstail told her. "It was no cat's fault, really- although if any cat was to blame, it's me."

"That's not true."

"Watersplash, have you forgotten how our last meeting went?" Grasstail dug his claws into the ground. "I was the one who pushed you away! I wouldn't have blamed you for hating me after that!"

It broke Watersplash's heart to see Grasstail so upset. She wanted so badly to comfort him in any way she could. The rational part of her knew it wouldn't really make things better between them- not after all that had happened. Even so, if there was anything at all Watersplash could do to cheer Grasstail up, even if it was just for a few moments…

"Mate with me," she breathed, leaning her head against Grasstail's chest.

Grasstail did a double take. "Wh-what did you just say?"

Watersplash could hardly believe it herself, but… "It's what you want, isn't it?" she whispered. "And if you want it, I wouldn't mind."

"But, Watersplash, we can't…" Grasstail began, before trailing off. "…Then again, who am I to turn something like that down?" he purred, eyes glistening like they had when the pair had been together. Were they back together now? Or would this be a one-time thing?

Purring, Watersplash led Grasstail into a secluded spot amongst the reeds so they wouldn't be seen. She could hardly believe that Grasstail was finally by her side once more. Being with him may not have been the best thing that ever could have happened to Watersplash, but that was what it felt like. And either way, she knew that being with him was the best thing she was going to get.

Grasstail staggered back into camp as the sun was setting, feeling better than he had thought was possible. Sadly, as soon as he'd made it into the warriors' den, he completely crashed. He couldn't even make it to his nest. Being with Watersplash had been amazing, but not even love could cure him of his depression. By the time the next morning rolled around, Grasstail felt absolutely miserable. He knew he'd pushed himself too far, and now it was taking a toll on him.

"What's all this?" Seedpelt remarked as he stuck his head into the den at a little past sunhigh. "I thought you were getting better."

 _That's what I had hoped_ , Grasstail thought, but all he could manage out loud was a grumble. Seedpelt padded over to where he lay sprawled out on the floor of the den and dropped a rabbit at his paws.

"For you," the brown tom meowed.

"Mmm." Grasstail blinked gratefully up at his friend, but as soon as Seedpelt had left, Grasstail pushed the rabbit away. The smell of it made him sick; he couldn't even imagine eating it. He'd let the next cat who came in to check on him have it- maybe Podtail. The hard-working medicine cat more than deserved it.

Since he obviously wasn't going to be getting up today, Grasstail decided he might as well try and get some sleep. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was in the middle of a dream.

 _Inky blackness surrounded Grasstail, and when he tried to move around, he found that he was floating weightlessly above the ground. He wondered if he was in space. But that didn't make sense- where were the stars?_

 _A blood-curdling screech rang in Grasstail's ears. He flailed around in suspension, unable to reach the cat responsible for the sound nor able to detect their location. There were no other sounds, and no scents to tell him where he was. It was as if he had no senses at all._

 _"Hello?" he called, trying to ignore his growing sense of dread. "Who's there?"_

 _"Grasstail?"_

 _The voice came from behind him, and he whirled around to see a cat running toward him- no, two cats. Well, more like kits, really. He didn't recognize either of them. One was a sleek black she-cat, and the other was a dark gray tom with a slight blue tint in his tabby stripes. "Who are you?" Grasstail asked._

 _"Grasstail, you have to save us," the she-kit wailed. "We don't wanna drown!"_

Are these StarClan kits? _Grasstail wondered. But they didn't have stars in their pelts or around their paws, and they were just as opaque as he was. What was going on?_

 _Suddenly thunder boomed overhead, and rained began to pour down. A wave rose up out of the void and engulfed the two kits. "No!" Grasstail shouted, leaping up to pull them out of the water. It was no good; the wave caught him, too, and he was pulled under. Just before his vision slipped away, he saw the face of a cat in the water. Their whiskers were quivering in amusement and they purred at him, as though it were funny that he was going to drown. "Who are you?!" Grasstail demanded, but his muzzle filled with water as soon as he spoke. The cat vanished, and Grasstail sank toward the bottom of an unseen lake, the frightened mewling of the kits echoing in his ears._

Grasstail woke up to find himself lying in the medicine den. He grimaced as he took in the tangy scent of herbs. Podtail must have moved him while he'd been sleeping. He also felt (and tasted) some chewed-up leaves in his mouth- Podtail must have tried to get him to take his herbs. He swallowed the pulp and groaned, rolling onto his back to gaze up at the top of the den. He could see grass roots sticking down through the dirt, and he had half a mind to bat at them like a kit. _Wouldn't that be funny_ , he thought to himself. _It'd be like I was a kit again._

Grasstail had to admit he would have liked to have been a kit again right about then. But he knew he could never go back to those days. He had no choice but to face the future in front of him, no matter what that might hold.


	29. Chapter 29

It happened on the type of day that you'd least expect- not that you'd expect it to happen on any day. Watersplash had been woken up by Miststar calling a Clan meeting, in which he announced that Oakleaf's period of punishment was over. As soon as the words escaped the leader's mouth, Watersplash's tail drooped in dismay. Oakleaf hadn't even had that severe a punishment. He'd even gotten to keep his apprentice! All that had happened was that he'd had to perform some apprentice tasks. It wasn't as if he'd had to sleep in the apprentices' den or anything; his punishment for assaulting a Clanmate was simply having to gather moss, change bedding, and check the elders for ticks a few times a week. And now apparently Miststar thought Oakleaf had learned his lesson. It just wasn't fair.

In an attempt to cheer herself up (because the cheerful young apprentice had a way of doing that) Watersplash took Emberpaw out for some solo training later that morning. She stopped to scarf down a good-sized bass before they set out; for some reason, she was hungrier than usual that morning. It was probably because she was in a bad mood about Oakleaf's punishment being revoked.

Watersplash took Emberpaw to a clearing near the stream and told her to practice some battle moves on her. She found herself wincing as she felt the results of Emberpaw's training. Her apprentice had improved significantly since first being assigned to her.

"Okay, next we're going to pretend I'm a badger," Watersplash meowed.

"Oh! I know this one," Emberpaw interrupted. "It's like this, right?" She reared up on her hind legs and flailed her front paws at Watersplash. Purring, Watersplash batted at the apprentice and sent her toppling over with a meow of surprise. "What, was that not it?" Emberpaw muttered as she shook her pelt out.

"You're doing good, but you need to work on the accuracy of your blows," Watersplash meowed. She angled her ears toward a boulder next to the stream. "Come over here and I'll show you."

Ears pricked in curiosity, Emberpaw padded after Watersplash, who led her to a boulder and proceeded to rake her claws down the rock, leaving claw marks running down the rock on a slant. Emberpaw cocked her head in confusion, so Watersplash explained herself.

"See where I scratched the rock? I want you to scratch it in the same place," Watersplash instructed Emberpaw. She placed her paw on the rock again and moved it the same way she had before, but slower, for emphasis. "The more your claw marks overlap with mine, the better."

Emberpaw nodded. Brow furrowed in concentration, she stepped up to the boulder and swiped at it. Her claws came away from the rock and she let out a little exclamation of dismay. "Aww, it wasn't even close!"

Looking over Emberpaw's shoulder, Watersplash could see that the apprentice was right. Emberpaw's claw marks were almost completely vertical, and a lot more jagged than Watersplash's straighter, diagonal ones.

Not wanting her apprentice to be discouraged, Watersplash lightly rested her tail on Emberpaw's back. "Try again," she encouraged her. "You can only improve form here, right?"

Emberpaw's next few tries went quite a lot better. By the end, her claw marks were only a few whisker-lengths off from Watersplash's. They headed back to camp in what should have been a good mood for both of them. Emberpaw certainly did seem to be proud of herself for having improved so much in the span of just a few hours. But Watersplash just felt… off. She felt sick to her stomach, and when they padded back into camp and Oakleaf was the first cat she saw, it definitely didn't help. The fact that the camp was nearly deserted apart from them didn't help much, either.

"Hey, Watersplash," the auburn tom purred. He nodded to Emberpaw. "Another nice day out with your apprentice, I see?"

Watersplash tried to fight back the anxiety that surfaced in her every time she laid eyes on him and gave him a nice smile. "Yeah; I was just teaching Emberpaw about accuracy."

"Accuracy, huh?" Oakleaf padded up to Watersplash and tilted his muzzle up, showing off a scar on his neck. Watersplash couldn't remember seeing it before; it must have been new. She backed up a bit so he wouldn't be so up in her face, but he took two steps toward her for each one she took back. "You're right; that fleabag does need some more accuracy training," Oakleaf said in a faintly masked snarl. Emberpaw hissed at him and Watersplash gasped, horrified that he'd insult her apprentice like that, but Oakleaf wasn't done. "See, last time I ran into her, her accuracy was awful. She missed my throat by a good margin."

From the look he gave Watersplash, she knew he was telling the truth. Her stomach twisted. Impossible! Emberpaw was such a sweet cat. How could she have done something like that?!

"Emberpaw," Watersplash whispered, her mouth dry. "Is this true?"

With a gulp, Emberpaw slowly nodded. A slow horror settled over Watersplash as she looked back up at Oakleaf, who had drawn his lips back in a snarl. "Yeah, you heard me," he spat. "But don't worry- I won't tell Miststar a thing. That is, not if you do me a little favour…"

Watersplash knew what that favour was going to be even before she took in the glint in Oakleaf's hazel eyes. She let out a tiny, involuntary whimper and took a few more steps back until she had retreated back into the undergrowth just outside camp. Now no cat would be able to see what was going on- not that any cat had seemed to notice in the first place. She stood in front of in front of Emberpaw just in case Oakleaf tried to attack her.

Emberpaw's eyes were wide in guilt and dismay. "I'm sorry, Watersplash!" she cried. "But you said Oakleaf hurt you, and I wanted to get revenge! It wasn't fair that every cat stopped liking you because of him!"

"It's okay, Emberpaw," Watersplash murmured, bending down to give her apprentice a lick on the forehead. "It's not your fault Oakleaf is a minnow-hearted crowfood-eater," she added in a snarl, casting her gaze back to Oakleaf. His tail bushed up and he drew his claws out, taking a step forward, so Watersplash drew back and nudged Emberpaw away. "Run back to your den" she whispered. Emberpaw bobbed her head silently and scampered off, leaving Watersplash to face down Oakleaf alone.

Oakleaf backed Watersplash up against a rock formation that jutted up a few tail-lengths. A scraggy shrub that grew out of a crack in the formation scraped against Watersplash's back, causing her already on-end pelt to bristle further. Every muscle in her body screamed for her to run away, but she knew she'd get in trouble if she was caught fighting a Clanmate. It would be infinitely better to do this voluntarily, because it was clear to her that Oakleaf was going to get what he wanted, whether it was the easy way or the hard way. Watersplash despised that tom, but she really had seen him as a friend before all of this, and would much rather go about things the easy way.

Oakleaf purred, a sound that sent a tremor down Watersplash's spine, when she sheathed her claws and dropped into a submissive pose. "I see you've decided to go along with things like a good cat," he drawled, bringing his muzzle up to Watersplash's ear. "Good choice on your part. This way, I won't have to expose your sweet little 'paw's violent streak."

Watersplash gulped as Oakleaf brought himself in closer to her, but she did not resist. This wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her, right? If she didn't fight him, he wouldn't harm her. Maybe she could just pretend that he was Grasstail…

Living with Podtail wasn't Grasstail's first choice for how he wanted to spend what could very well turn out to be the rest of his life. However, it wouldn't exactly have been his first choice to be depressed, either, so he supposed he should take what he could get. Besides, maybe it was some kind of placebo, but sleeping in the medicine den made Grasstail feel healthier. Breathing in the scent of herbs and watching Podtail sort through them gave him a renewed energy, and he'd been having more frequent good days in the little over a moon that he'd been staying in the medicine den. He'd even joined a couple of patrols. Sadly, he hadn't been able to make it all the way to the border before he gave out, but his Clanmates had been proud of him for trying.

One day, when Podtail came back from sorting herbs to find Grasstail sitting up and grooming himself, the medicine cat made a suggestion. "If you're feeling up for it, why don't you go check in on Gorsewind?" he meowed. "His health has been deteriorating, and I don't know how many more moons he's got left in him, so I'm sure he'd appreciate some company."

"Yeah," Grasstail mumbled. He wasn't even quite sure what he was agreeing to- that he was up for it? That Gorsewind's health was deteriorating? That he'd appreciate company? …Maybe to all three? Either way, he did kind of want to talk to the elder again. Something had been weighing on his mind for a while that he needed to discuss.

As soon as Grasstail reached the elder's den, he was met with the heavy stench of waste. He wrinkled his nose as he padded inside. Gorsewind was lying on his side, chest rising and falling in a slow and shaky manner. He raised his head when he saw Grasstail. "Hello there, Grasstail," he croaked. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

It was actually cloudy out, and looked like it was going to rain soon, but Grasstail didn't want to put the elder down. "The weather's fine," he agreed with a respectful dip of his head. Then he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm…" Gorsewind began, but quickly trailed off. His raspy breaths became deeper and steadier, and Grasstail realized with a pang of disappointment that he'd fallen asleep. He was about to leave when, with a snort, Gorsewind suddenly jerked awake again. "…Fine," the elderly cat meowed, finishing his sentence as if there hadn't been over a minute-long break in the middle. "Perfectly fine."

"That's good," Grasstail muttered. He didn't exactly believe the poor old tom, of course. It was obvious he wasn't fine. But the way things were going, it was doubtful that Gorsewind would ever again be in good enough health to be considered "fine". He wouldn't really be "fine" until he was in StarClan. _Maybe I won't be either_ , Grasstail thought with a pang of dread.

"So, young'un, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Gorsewind asked, rolling onto his stomach and propping his paws up under his muzzle. "I don't reckon you're here just for the sake of seeing me."

"Um, yeah, there is something," Grasstail began, staring down at his paws as he sat down facing the elder. "But it's kind of complicated, and before I say anything, I need you to promise you won't tell any cat."

 _That's if you even remember_ , he thought, but he didn't dare say it. Maybe there had once been a time when he would have tossed the remark in at the end, a scathing comment to make sure that Gorsewind didn't think he was letting his guard down, but Grasstail wasn't that cat anymore. Both for worse and for better, his life had changed a lot recently.

"I promise," Gorsewind said immediately. Grasstail's shoulders sagged with relief, although it wasn't as if he'd really doubted that Gorsewind would agree. That was one of the main reasons Grasstail liked that elder- he understood.

Now he could be sure his secret would be safe, Grasstail just had to figure out where to even start. "So, you know how you've told me a lot about how you and Sandstar used to be mates?" he began finally. Gorsewind nodded- so he still remembered that. Good; it was nice to see his memory hadn't deteriorated too badly yet. "Well, I've got kind of a similar situation to that," Grasstail continued. "You see, there's this cat-"

"Ah, I see," Gorsewind interrupted, a twinkle in his sunken eyes. "It's Seedpelt, isn't it? Well, no worry; I hear cats are much more accepting nowadays than they were in my time."

Grasstail shook his head. "No, it's not that," he meowed. "I only like Seedpelt as a friend. But there's this other cat- this she-cat- who I like as more than a friend. The only problem is, she's… a RiverClan cat."

No sooner had he spoken the words than Grasstail cringed at them, instantly second-guessing himself. Should he really have told Gorsewind that? What would the elder think?

Gorsewind gently laid a shriveled paw on top of Grasstail's. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that," he purred raspily. "It's not something that cats like to talk about much, but I know from personal experience that it's not unheard of in the slightest to be infatuated by cats from other Clans. It happens all the time, in fact. As long as you don't act on it, you've got absolutely nothing to worry about."

 _But I_ have _acted on it. That's just the problem._ Grasstail swallowed hard as Gorsewind gave him a reassuring smile. _In fact, we've both acted on it… a lot._

"Thank you, Gorsewind," Grasstail meowed with a shaky dip of his head. He knew he'd come in here to confide in the elder, but if even Gorsewind, the one cat he'd been sure would understand, responded in such a way, surely it was a bad idea to admit the full extent to which Grasstail and Watersplash had become involved with each other.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Gorsewind wheezed as Grasstail got up to leave. "You're welcome to tell me anything at any time."

Grasstail nodded uneasily before ducking out of the elders' den. He really appreciated Gorsewind's words. He only wished he could believe them.

 _Deep breath in, deep breath out. Deep breath in, deep breath out._

Watersplash sucked in the frosty almost-leaf-bare air through her nose and let it out through her muzzle, trying to keep it as slow and steady as possible, but it kept coming out as a breathless series of gasps. Her heavy blue-gray pelt weighed her down, and it was coated with sweat that she didn't doubt would later freeze when she stepped outside into the cold. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage like paws against the forest floor. She felt like she'd just run halfway around the lake.

 _Breathe in, breathe out._ Her face was flushed under her fur, which stood back up even when she gave herself a few firm licks in an attempt to smooth it out. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and she couldn't stop trembling.

 _In… out…_

It was useless. Watersplash couldn't look away any longer. She slowly dropped her gaze down past her heaving chest to her stomach. It poked out more than it should have. It was poking out more every day- getting rounder. _Maybe it's because I've been eating more lately?_ Watersplash thought, but not even she really believed that. Her appetite had increased in the past moon, but there had also been days when she'd had no appetite at all in the mornings, and had thrown up whatever she scarfed down. There was no tiptoeing around it. Watersplash knew that she was pregnant.

She also knew that she could not afford to have kits. Not now. She had an apprentice to look after! Sure, Miststar would understand, and he'd probably find some other cat to take over Emberpaw's training, but… Watersplash didn't want that. She wanted to be able to train her apprentice. Besides, she was so young! How was she supposed to raise kits of her own when she herself had been a kit this time last year?! She had no idea how to look after kits!

And then there was the most terrifying issue of all- the father. Watersplash didn't know who it was, and she didn't know who she'd prefer it to be. If it was Grasstail- if she was expecting half-Clan kits… her life was over. But she couldn't stand the thought of having Oakleaf's kits. She would forever regret agreeing to mate with him, and every time she saw him she still wanted to rip his throat out- finish what Emberpaw had started. Oakleaf didn't even deserve to reproduce.

"Watersplash?" Shellsong poked her head into the warriors' den, which Watersplash had run into immediately after returning from a patrol. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong," Watersplash meowed shakily. She drew in another deep breath and waited a moment before exhaling. In, out, in out. "Nothing's wrong," she repeated once her breathing had become steadier and her heart had slowed down a bit. "I was just resting."

Shellsong padded up to Watersplash, narrowing her eyes. Watersplash flinched when she realized the pale tabby was glancing at her belly. "Um, Watersplash, is there something you haven't told me?"

Watersplash gulped. Should she tell the truth? It wouldn't be the whole truth, of course, but merely expecting kits wasn't that big a deal. It was whose kits they were that might cause a problem. Besides, it wasn't like she could hide it. Shellsong may not have been as friendly with Watersplash as she had been before she'd gotten Oakleaf in trouble, but neither of the she-cats really held any animosity towards each other. They would always be friends, even if they weren't best friends anymore.

As it turned out, Watersplash didn't even have to say anything, because Shellsong had already figured it out. Of course she had. It was obvious to any cat looking at Watersplash's rounded belly.

"You're expecting kits!" Shellsong shrieked so loudly that Watersplash wanted to clamp a paw over her muzzle. Instead she merely gave her friend a pointed look, and Shellsong blinked apologetically. "That's so cool," she went on more quietly. "…Wait, who's the father?!"

 _I don't know!_ Watersplash wanted to scream, but she knew she couldn't tell Shellsong that. If her friend was aware that there was more than one tom Watersplash had slept with, it would be obvious upon thinking about it that she had broken the warrior code. Other than Oakleaf, the only RiverClan tom in Watersplash's age group was Smokefur, who was her cousin.

That meant there was only one thing Watersplash could say. "It must be Oakleaf," she muttered, desperately hoping that wasn't really the case. Warrior code or not, at least she and Grasstail loved each other. If they were his kits, she could take them to WindClan to be raised by him- or maybe by his sister and her mate, since they obviously wouldn't be able to have kits on their own.

"Wow… so my best friend and my brother are mates," Shellsong squealed. "That's, like, the most mind-blowing thing ever! And here you said you didn't want to mate with him," she added, giving Watersplash a cheeky grin.

 _I didn't!_ Watersplash thought as she purred, "Yeah, it's funny how things work out, huh?"


	30. Chapter 30

The sky was clear and the sun was shining, but it brought no warmth, and the sky in shone in was pale gray rather than blue. It was chilly out on the moor, and Grasstail had half a mind to say he wasn't feeling well enough to go out on patrol and stay with Podtail in the medicine den. However, he was afraid that if he went a single day without going out and doing something, his depression would come back and he'd never be able to leave his nest again. Irrational as that fear may have been, it kept Grasstail up and on his paws, and that was exactly what he wanted. After being a dead weight to his Clan for so long, he wanted to repay his Clanmates by contributing as much as he could.

"Brrrr!" Appleshine shivered. Her red-and-white fur was too short to keep her warm very well- not at all like Watersplash, whose blue-gray pelt looked longer and shaggier every time Grasstail saw it. True, he'd only seen her twice since their reconciliation (if you could call it that), and both times had been mere glimpses when they'd run into each other at the border, but Grasstail noticed these things.

Barkstripe nuzzled up against Appleshine. "Cold, sweetie?" she murmured. Appleshine nodded, and Barkstripe licked her ear. "Try to tough it out, okay? I love you," she added, which made Appleshine purr.

Grasstail rolled his eyes and made exaggerating gagging sounds. Barkstripe glared at him, but it held no genuine animosity, and Appleshine gave him a teasing cuff around the ears. Grasstail ducked, a purr rumbling in his throat that quickly turned into a cough. The cold weather had a way of doing that to a cat. He just hoped he wasn't coming down with anything.

The patrol drew to a stop as they reached the rabbit warren. Signaling with her tail for the other two to stay back, Barkstripe dropped into the hunters' crouch and crept toward the opening. Grasstail hung back, shifting his weight from side to side to keep his blood circulating, until Barkstripe turned back to them and nodded. Grasstail and Appleshine crept around on either side of Barkstripe and lay in wait while the older she-cat squeezed into the narrow entrance of the rabbit burrow.

A few moments later, a rabbit pelted out of the opening, Barkstripe snapping at its heels. Grasstail jumped in front on if, blocking it off, and it drew to a halt with a terrified squeak. Appleshine pounced on the rabbit and held it down. "You wanna kill it?" she offered to Grasstail. He shook his head; she bit the rabbit's neck and picked up the body with a glow of satisfaction.

"Good job," Barkstripe purred. "That rabbit never stood a chance."

"There were three of us and one of it," Grasstail pointed out. "I don't think it'd have stood a chance either way."

"Shut up, rabbit-brain," Appleshine meowed, flaring her nostrils in what was supposed to look like anger but was clearly amusement. "Barkstripe is allowed to compliment me, you know. She _is_ my mate, after all."

"I am well aware of that," Grasstail meowed with a roll of his eyes. "You can't go five minutes without reminding me."

He was glad his sister was happy, but she and Barkstripe were the most obnoxious couple he'd ever seen. He wondered if he and Watersplash were like that. They probably were in private, but Grasstail liked to think of himself and his kind-of, sort-of mate as being above that sort of thing. Besides, he reflected with a twinge of sadness, they couldn't exactly afford to be all lovey-dovey in public the way Appleshine and Barkstripe could.

After scraping some dirt over the rabbit to come back for it later, Barkstripe led them down toward another burrow closer to the lake. The scent of RiverClan carried over in the wind, and Grasstail's ears pricked up, listening for any familiar voices. Appleshine gave him an inquisitive glance, but then muttered "oh, right"- she knew all about him and Watersplash, and oddly enough, she didn't even seem to care anymore. It was hard to think that not so long ago, their relationship had nearly been torn apart because of it. Even stranger was the fact that Grasstail would have gladly estranged himself from his littermate for the sake of a she-cat from another Clan. Now he couldn't imagine trading the bond he shared with his kin for anything- not even romantic love.

Of course, that didn't mean Grasstail wasn't still crazy for Watersplash, and when he saw a RiverClan patrol swimming in the lake near the border he wanted to check if Watersplash was among them. She probably wasn't, but it was always worth checking just in case.

"Hey, you two can probably handle this on your own," Grasstail muttered to Barkstripe, angling his ears down the shore. "I'm gonna go wash my paws off in the lake; I think I stepped in some mud earlier."

Barkstripe snorted; Grasstail had to remind himself that she knew all about Watersplash too (courtesy of Appleshine, of course). "Yeah, you go 'wash your paws off'," she meowed. "Just try not to take too long."

"I won't," Grasstail promised. He bounded off toward the shore, only slowing once he was within earshot of the RiverClan cats. He was somewhat disappointed to see that Watersplash wasn't among them, but he recognized her friend Shellsong playing in the shallow part of the lake with a younger cat- an apprentice, by the looks of it. Grasstail padded forward curiously, wondering whether he should try to get Shellsong's attention or not.

As it turned out, he didn't have to make that decision. The apprentice she was playing with sniffed the air and let out a little mew of surprise. "I can smell a WindClan cat over there," she mewed, angling her ears to where Grasstail crouched among the reeds.

"WindClan?" Shellsong echoed. "Emberpaw, are you sure?" She looked back at her Clanmates, who appeared to be fishing further out in the lake, and padded onto the shore.

Grasstail recognized the name Emberpaw, and upon closer inspection, he recognized the apprentice too. Wasn't Watersplash Emberpaw's mentor, though? Worry pricked his pelt as he watched the black-and-orange she-cat scamper after Shellsong. Had something happened to Watersplash?

Grasstail held his breath and pressed his body to the ground, but Shellsong must have caught a glimpse of him through the reeds, because she snarled and the next thing he knew, she'd pinned him to the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he stammered, keeping his voice low so nobody else would hear. "Take it easy, okay? I'm only here because I want to know how a friend of mine is doing."

"Can't you wait for the Gathering?" Shellsong growled, but she stepped off of him and he got up, his pelt prickling as he took in the RiverClan she-cat angry glare. How could Watersplash be friends with someone so aggressive? "If you're talking about Watersplash, I've got news for you, buddy," she continued. "You won't be seeing her for quite some time. Let's just say she's… not exactly fit to perform warrior duties at the moment."

Grasstail leaned forward in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he hissed. With a pang of worry, he asked, "She's not hurt, is she?"

Emberpaw looked up at Shellsong in surprise. "Did you hear that?" she whispered. "He doesn't know!"

"Well, would you care to fill me in, then?" Grasstail pressed, growing increasingly frustrated.

"Watersplash had to stop being my mentor and move into the nursery with Graysmoke," Emberpaw explained. "That's because in a couple weeks, she's going to have kits just like Graysmoke's!"

It took Grasstail a moment to comprehend Emberpaw's statement. When he did, he could still hardly wrap his mind around it. Watersplash… was going to have kits? _His_ kits?! That had to be it, right? He was the only cat she had mated with…

After hearing that, Grasstail staggered back to Barkstripe and Appleshine, who didn't say a word as they picked up their fresh-kill and headed back to camp. They knew better than to ask Grasstail about his encounters, and Grasstail couldn't have been happier about that. He wouldn't have known what to say.

He was going to be a father!

One thing had become very clear to Watersplash since she had been more or less forced to move into the nursery: she did not like lounging around doing nothing.

Her legs screamed for her to run, jump, swim; her claws itched to be dug into something- or someone. Whenever some ca would drop in to see how she was doing, she would want to beg them to take her with them when they were called away. She wanted to join the next patrol. She wanted to go fishing. She wanted to take Emberpaw out for a training session. What she did not want to do was stay cooped up in the nursery with Graysmoke's kits clambering all over her, but since Watersplash was expecting kits, that was what she had to do.

"How much longer is it going to be before Watersplash has her kits?" asked Cloudkit, a light gray tom-kit who bore a striking resemblance to his mother. "Pebblekit says she wants new friends."

Graysmoke bent down to lick the top of her son's head affectionately. "No cat can say for certain what the exact day will be," the middle-aged queen purred. "But Mossnose says Watersplash's kits are going to be coming along very soon."

"You won't be able to play with them right away, though," Watersplash interjected when Cloudkit's face lit up. "It'll take a while before they even open their eyes."

Pebblekit frowned, cocking her head so far to the side that it almost looked like her neck was broken. Watersplash suppressed an amused purr at the way her ears flopped over to the side. "How come?" she mewed.

Watersplash sighed. "That's just the way it is with kits."

She still couldn't believe that in just a few days- probably less than a week- she was going to have kits of her own. It just didn't feel like it was really happening. It was like Watersplash had temporarily taken over the body of some she-cat who was expecting kits, and as soon as she gave birth she'd go back to her normal life. But that wouldn't happen. She'd be stuck looking after the kits- _her_ kits, as crazy as that sounded- until they became apprentices. And if Graysmoke's litter was any indication, that was going to be quite a pawful.

One night, while Cloudkit and Pebblekit snuggled up against their mother, an out-of-place but all-too-familiar scent was mixed into the wind. Watersplash thought it was part of her dream at first- another nightmare about storms and falling from Shale Hill. The scent would have fit in well with that dream, as she always saw him standing there below her; always there, but never saving her.

Watersplash knew it wasn't a dream, however, when a fat drop of mud rolled onto her face. She screeched- more of a squeal, really, but that didn't seem fitting for a she-cat who was about to become a mother- and sat up. Her eyes shot open and she took in the cat standing over her, who promptly whipped his tail, which was also dripping in mud, over her muzzle to silence her.

She wasn't going to be silenced that easily, however. "Grasstail, what in StarClan's name are you doing here?" she hissed. "You can only waltz into RiverClan territory so often before you get caught, you know!"

"It's okay," he whispered. "I rolled around in mud to hide my scent."

"I can recognize your scent with no trouble."

Grasstail worked his claws into the ground. "Whatever," he muttered. "Anyway, you know why I'm here. Your friend Shellsong told me you're going to have kits."

Watersplash swallowed hard. Grasstail had been bound to find out sooner or later, and he deserved to know, but it seemed wrong for Shellsong to have been the one to tell him. In an ideal world, in which they were in the same Clan, Grasstail would have found out at the same time as Watersplash had.

"What are we going to do about this, Watersplash?" Grasstail demanded. He kept his voice quiet, but Watersplash still flinched. She hadn't given the matter as much thought as she should have. "If your kits- _our_ kits- end up looking like they're half-WindClan- which they are- then the gig is up! We'll probably be banished!"

His words stung, but Watersplash knew the truth they held. They weren't going to be able to raise their kits together, obviously, and that was painful to think. Watersplash had been feeling so sorry for herself that she hadn't considered how hard it would surely be for Grasstail to have to watch his kits grow up from afar. Then again, she didn't even know for certain if they were Grasstail's kits- they could just as well be Oakleaf's.

She had to tell him about that possibility now, she decided. There was no use in hiding the truth from Grasstail, and if it was Oakleaf's kits she was expecting, Grasstail was bound to find out sooner or later. Surely it would be better for him to find out from her than to realize it after the fact should Watersplash's kits turn out not to look like him.

"There's something I need to tell you, Grasstail," Watersplash whispered. "The kits I'm pregnant with might not be yours." She shrunk back in shame as Grasstail's eyes narrowed. "There's a chance that… the father might be Oakleaf."

 _What?!_ Grasstail blinked, stupefied, at Watersplash. Oakleaf might be the father? The cat who'd assaulted her?! How could that be?

"When did you mate with Oakleaf?" Grasstail hissed. He tried not to let Watersplash see how hurt he was.

"I didn't want to do it, Grasstail," she explained. "He was going to report Emberpaw for attacking him."

"And did she attack him?"

Watersplash sighed. "Yes, she did," she admitted. "I told Emberpaw that Oakleaf had hurt me, so she came after him one day and left him with a scar on his neck. I hadn't been aware of the incident until he showed me the scar and threatened to report her."

"A scar on his _neck_?" Grasstail echoed. "Watersplash, that's serious business! Your apprentice must've been trying to kill him! She deserved to be held accountable for her actions!"

"Grasstail, you have to understand," Watersplash cried. "She's just a 'paw; she doesn't know better. Miststar would have given her a worse punishment than he gave Oakleaf, I just know it."

Grasstail wavered at the sight of his beloved Watersplash looking so distressed. Her ears were pressed flat against her head, and her blue eyes were round and apologetic. He gave her a comforting lick on the head, and she seemed to calm down a bit. Then he remembered how old Emberpaw was and his anger returned.

"I saw Emberpaw the other day, when Shellsong told me you were pregnant," he meowed. "She must be at least nine or ten moons old now- more than old enough to know not to attack a Clanmate!"

"Oakleaf is a crowfood-eating minnow-heart," Watersplash snarled. "Miststar should have banished him for what he did to me."

"Who are you to say what the Clan leader should have done?" Grasstail snapped, raising his voice a bit higher than was safe. "You may think you have some sort of special destiny, but that doesn't make you better than any other cat!"

Watersplash flinched. "Grasstail, you're upset," she meowed gently. "Go back to WindClan and we can talk this over later like responsible adults."

Grasstail didn't want to talk it over later, but he knew Watersplash was right. The last time they'd fought like this, they had almost permanently destroyed their relationship. He had never been in a position like the one Watersplash was in now, and he never would be. He still felt that Watersplash had made a mistake in allowing herself to be manipulated by Oakleaf, but what was done was done. Even if the kits she was expecting weren't Grasstail's, it wouldn't make any difference. He wouldn't be able to raise them even if he was the father.

"I'm sorry, Watersplash," he muttered. "I'll go home now and stop acting like such a rabbit-brain. I love you," he added.

Watersplash pressed her muzzle against Grasstail's neck. "I love you, too."

After that, Grasstail left Watersplash alone, and was careful not to be seen as he was leaving. They had a lot to talk about, and only time would tell whose kits Watersplash was really expecting. Either way, their lives would never be the same.

Grasstail was so wrapped up in his thoughts as he made his way back to WindClan territory that he didn't notice the pair of hazel eyes that followed him, gleaming in the murky night.


	31. Chapter 31

She'd been walking outside to sink up some of the late-afternoon sun when her body started convulsing.

The pain that shot through Watersplash was unlike any she had felt before, and she staggered and collapsed, moaning and clawing at the ground. Instantly, the camp broke into a frenzied mayhem. "She's about to have her kits!" some cat- was it Smokefur?- cried. "Get her to Mossnose, quick!"

 _Is that what's happening?_ was all Watersplash could think as tremors wracked her body. _I'm having kits?_ She'd known she was going to give birth soon, of course, but it had always seemed like some unfathomable, far-off event. The fact that it was actually happening, here and now, was more than Watersplash could wrap her mind around. And the excruciating pain that was being brought on hardly improved matters. If this was what every queen went through when they kitted, Watersplash couldn't understand why any cat would choose to get pregnant. She felt like she was going to die- no exaggeration. She literally felt like she was being torn apart from the inside out.

She was carried into Mossnose's den because it was closer than the nursery and set down in an empty nest. "I'll go fetch her a stick to bite down on," one of the cats who'd carried her offered- it _was_ Smokefur. Watersplash felt a burst of gratitude toward the gray-furred tom; she'd missed his companionship ever since Patchfur had run away. She tried to shoot her cousin a smile as he hurried off to find a stick, but she didn't think he saw. Then another spasm racked her body and she forgot Smokefur entirely, letting out a screech louder than she'd known she was capable of making.

After that, the whole experience was a blur. There was pain, pain, more pain, Smokefur hovering over her with a stick in his mouth… more pain, and wood splintering between Watersplash's teeth as she writhed. Mossnose gave Watersplash encouragements, but she couldn't make out a thing the medicine cat was saying. Her whole vision was blurred and tinted red.

Watersplash was positive that she was going to die. This was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. How could any cat survive this much agony?

And then… it was over.

She felt a great release as the last kit slithered out onto the nest. Watersplash sat back, chest heaving with exhaustion, as the pain slowly diminished. It was done. She was done. She'd given birth.

Dear StarClan, she was a mother!

Suddenly something rose up in Watersplash's throat; she was unsure as to whether it was bile or emotion. She swallowed it down with a gulp and lay on her side, panting, as Mossnose licked the final kit's fur the wrong way. She couldn't see the others- how many were there? After a moment, Mossnose handed the kit over to her. Watersplash stared blankly ahead for a moment before pulling her kit in close and letting it began suckling. Only then did she realize that two other kits were already there, nestled between her paws. One of them was very small and had cream-coloured fur, one was black, and the other was gray with shades of greenish-bluish-gray visible from the right angle.

As soon as she saw the kits, Watersplash knew they were not Oakleaf's. She let out a sigh of relief as the three kits suckled at her belly- _her_ three kits. She had to keep reminding herself. This was really happening. She had given birth to half-Clan kits. She was a mother, and Grasstail… Grasstail was a father.

"So," Mossnose asked as she hovered over Watersplash, "Do you have any idea what you want to name them?"

Watersplash didn't have the faintest idea. It wasn't something she'd thought much about. She silently chastised herself for not having given it any consideration. If she hadn't thought about the ramifications of having half-Clan kits, one would think she'd have at least given some thought to naming the kits.

She took a good, long look at the newborn kits, and she thought about their father. The gray one in particular looked like it would grow into a cat resembling Grasstail. Finally, she settled on names that she thought would be fitting for them.

"This one I'm going to call Featherkit," she said, touching her tail-tip to the cream-coloured kit. Then she moved it over to the black-furred kit. "And this one is going to be Ripplekit. And as for this one…" She moved her tail-tip over to the final kit. "I'll call this one Sprucekit, after the Blue Spruce."

"Good choices," Mossnose purred. "Now, try to get some rest. Call me if you need anything."

She turned away from Watersplash and went to go tend to her herb supply.

"Wait," Watersplash cried. "There's something…" She gulped. She hadn't intended to tell the medicine cat this, but Mossnose needed to know. "There's something I need you to do for me."

The sun was sinking low in the sky on what would probably be the last decent day of the year. Grasstail suspected that if he were to venture over to ThunderClan territory he'd find the place swamped with fallen leaves. He was glad he was a WindClan cat, and didn't have to worry about having leaves fall all over him when he went for a walk.

He'd tried to be an active member of WindClan again after his initial bout with depression. And for a while, he'd succeeded. Then Grasstail's mood and energy levels had declined again. He didn't even know why this time- he was thrilled that Watersplash was going to be having his kits. Maybe there was no reason for it at all. In that case, this was probably StarClan's way of punishing Grasstail for mating with a RiverClan cat. He figured he deserved it, but he loved Watersplash, and nothing- not StarClan, not his Clanmates, not his depression, _nothing_ \- could ever change that.

Now, as the sun sank on yet another dreary leaf-fall day, Grasstail sat just outside the warriors' den and tried to keep his spirits up by fiddling with a piece of heather. It was a very kittenish thing to do, but it stimulated him just enough to prevent him from spiraling into absolute boredom. Inside the den, he could hear Appleshine and Barkstripe doing… Grasstail didn't want to know, which was why he was outside the den rather than inside with them.

Suddenly, the heather was wrenched from his claws by a small blur of orange. It took Grasstail a while to process what was going on, and by the time he had, Flamekit was already scampering away with the heather in his mouth.

"Did you get it?" asked Heatherkit, running up to his brother. His pale green eyes lit up when he saw the scrap of heather. "You got it!"

"I sure did- and boy, was it easy!" Flamekit boasted, puffing his chest out. He narrowed his eyes and dropped the scrap of heather at his littermate's paws. "Now, let's see if you live up to your name, Heatherkit…"

The two kits wrestled for the piece of heather, with Heatherkit coming away with it- he really did live up to his name. He tossed it up into the air, and Flamekit leaped up to bat at it but came crashing down unsuccessfully. Heatherkit cackled at him as the piece of heather drifted down to land on top of Flamekit's head.

Normally the rabbit-brained games that equally rabbit-brained kits liked to play were of no interest at all to Grasstail, but this time, he found himself transfixed by the play-fighting littermates. Would Watersplash's kits grow up playing those kinds of games, and running around in open, grassy fields? Or would they play around in the shallows with shale beneath their paws, splashing each other with water?

Grasstail wanted Watersplash to be able to raise their kits, but he didn't want to be without presence in their lives. Shuffling the kits back and forth between them was obviously out of the question, as was running away somewhere to raise their kits together. Every cat had been suspicious enough in early greenleaf, when Patchfur of RiverClan and Birchstripe of ShadowClan had gone missing at exactly the same time. If there was a similar occurrence so soon after, there was no doubt that cats would find out. There were already too many cats for Grasstail's comfort who knew about his relationship with Watersplash. Besides, he doubted they'd be able to survive on their own with kits to look after.

Then again, what about when they'd been carried away by that owl as apprentices? Watersplash had saved Grasstail's life then, and had it not been for that fateful journey home, it was doubtful that the two cats would be lovers now. Still, Grasstail hadn't been depressed then, although he had been injured pretty badly. Not only that, Watersplash- who was clearly the stronger of the two- would be busy looking after the kits. Grasstail probably couldn't be trusted to look after them for her when his depression was at its worse points, which was when he would depend the most upon Watersplash in the first place. She'd end up having to do all the work sometimes, and although she might say she was fine with it, Grasstail knew she wouldn't be. He didn't want to make her miserable, but living alone with him would be the surest way to do that.

Even so, Grasstail wasn't above entertaining the unrealistic fantasy of running away with Watersplash. It would never happen, but a cat could dream… and so dream he did, of a life with his mate and their kits that he knew could never come to pass.

"I want you to tell them that none of my kits survived."

From her shocked reaction, Mossnose must have thought Watersplash was insane, and Watersplash couldn't exactly blame her. It probably would have sounded crazy to any cat who didn't know the reasoning behind it- which Mossnose didn't, as Watersplash had yet to tell her.

"Tell them that they were all stillborn," Watersplash continued, curling her tail around the three very not-stillborn kits. "Say that I'm so destroyed by grief that I killed myself. If they try to get in the den and see, don't let them look. Say it's a bloody mess, and my body is so mangled that no cat should see me like this."

"But Watersplash, why in StarClan's name would you want me to tell your Clanmates such dreadful lies?!" Mossnose hissed, eyes wide in perplexity. "Your kits are right there, alive- and so are you!"

"I don't have time to explain," Watersplash whispered. "We need to do this, now. I don't want any cat to know that my kits or I are alive." Not giving Mossnose time to respond, she tilted her head back and let out her best impression of a grief-stricken yowl. "No! That's not true! Tell me it's not true!" She collapsed, sobbing, into her nest. "Oh, StarClan, how can you have forsaken me so?!"

Mossnose still didn't look too onboard with the plan, but she went along with it nonetheless, which was a pleasant surprise. "I'm sorry, Watersplash," she meowed, raising her voice so that the cats outside could hear her. They were beginning to draw a bit of a crowd. "Your kits were already long past saving."

"Nooo!"

While Watersplash carried on making as much of a racket as she could, draping herself over her kits so that the cats peering in from outside the medicine den couldn't see them, Mossnose padded outside with a somber expression on her face.

"Watersplash had a miscarriage," she meowed darkly. "She's extremely distraught, so I don't want any cats poking around here to bother her."

Watersplash heard her Clanmates break out into shocked and sympathetic murmurs and gasps. She craned her neck to see if Minnowleap was among them. Her mother hadn't seemed to care at all when she'd gotten pregnant, and Watersplash was worried that she didn't care about her anymore now that she was an adult cat.

Ignoring the pang of dismay she felt when she didn't pick out her mother's silver pelt among the crowd, Watersplash tucked her kits into an alcove where Mossnose kept her herbs and ran up to the entrance of the den, hurling herself up against Mossnose. "How dare you let this happen to me?!" she yowled in feigned outrage. "I'll kill you!" The medicine cat let her knock her to the ground, while around them, the others gasped. A couple of senior warriors dragged Watersplash, still struggling, off of Mossnose, who put on a shaken appearance and addressed the gathered crowd.

"You see- I told you she was dangerous," Mossnose cried. "I need everybody to leave her alone for a while. I'll give her some poppy seeds and let her rest for a bit. Now, clear out, all of you!"

Fortunately, this time the cats complied, albeit none too happily. As soon as the crowd had left, Watersplash gathered up her kits and rolled over to face Mossnose. The medicine cat looked somewhat exasperated, which she had every right to. It was a miracle the plan had worked.

"Thanks for going along with my bee-brained scheme," Watersplash muttered. "I can't let any cat see my kits, or they'll be bound to notice that one of them look at all like Oakleaf."

Mossnose slowly nodded as she stared at the kits. Her gaze lingered on Sprucekit in particular. "That one looks almost green, doesn't he?" she murmured. "…Just like that young WindClan tom. What's his name- Grasstail?"

With a gulp, Watersplash nodded. "Grasstail and I are…" She paused, not sure what the right word was. Not mates, really, although she liked to think of him as her mate. They were more like… "Lovers."

"Well, it sounds like you've gotten yourself into quite the predicament," Mossnose muttered darkly. She didn't seem quite as upset as Watersplash was afraid of, although needless to say, she was far from happy about it. "So, what are you going to do now? You'll need to make these kits disappear, and fast."

"I'll take them to Grasstail," Watersplash meowed readily. She gave the smallest kit a lick on the head, wondering where it inherited its creamy colouration from. "His sister's mate is a she-cat, so they won't be able to have kits on their own. I can give the kits to Grasstail, and he can give them to his sister and her mate to raise."

Mossnose nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea," she meowed. "You're in no state to do any travelling, of course, so I'll take them over for you tonight. If I get caught, my cover story will be that I need to gather herbs from WindClan territory."

"Sounds like a plan," Watersplash muttered. She wasn't exactly eager to give her newly born kits up, but it was the only option now.

Mossnose padded over to sort through her herb supply while Watersplash's kits suckled at her belly. Before the nest sunrise, those kits would be in a new nest- away from their mother, but close to their father. They'd be raised by kin, at least. Watersplash didn't know Appleshine and Barkstripe very well, but from what she'd seen they were perfectly lovely cats. Featherkit, Ripplekit, and Sprucekit would grow up in a safe environment, and they wouldn't have to know that Oakleaf so much as existed. That was the life Watersplash wanted for her kits, no matter how much she yearned to be able to raise them herself.

She only hoped that Grasstail would be on board with the plan…


	32. Chapter 32

_The kits were slipping further and further backward, toward the swirling vortex that was sucking them in. Grasstail tried to run toward them, but some cat was holding him back by the scruff and he couldn't break free from their grip no matter how much he struggled._

 _"Let me go!" he yowled, thrashing desperately to free himself and save the kits. It was pointless; they weren't letting go. Giving up, he hung limply in the grasp of whoever was behind him and watched as the kits were dragged into the stormy waters._

 _As he defeatedly watched them sink, he sunk as well. Just as the water started to engulf him, he caught a glimpse of a cat on the other side of the vortex. "Grasstail?" they called tentatively._

 _It was a familiar voice. "Watersplash, is that you?" Grasstail fought to keep his head above water so he could see her. Sure enough, it was her. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"Grasstail, what's going on?!" Watersplash demanded, eyes wide in panic. She glanced at the kits, which were still scrabbling at the edge of the platform they were standing on and shrieking. "Are those-?!"_

Before she could finish her sentence, Grasstail woke up, roused by a commotion going on outside. His dream left him more baffled than any had before. _Are those… what?_ he wondered. Then he realized with a jolt, _the kits I keep dreaming about might be_ our _kits!_ Before he had the time to properly process that thought, however, a mottled gray she-cat entered the den. Grasstail glanced around at his sleeping Clanmates and then blinked, stunned, at the intruder for a moment before recognizing her as Mossnose, the RiverClan medicine cat. What in StarClan's name was she doing here?

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here," Mossnose meowed in a businesslike manner. Grasstail nodded silently. "Your 'lover', as Watersplash has informed me you two are, has just kitted," she explained. "I'm giving the kits to you to raise, as was her request."

Grasstail was positively dumbfounded. "Raise kits? _Me_?" he echoed, his mouth dry. "Does Watersplash have bees in her brain?! I'm not equipped to raise kits!"

Mossnose gave him a wry chuckle. "That's what I thought too, but it's what she wanted." She turned her muzzle to look outside the den and beckoned with her tail. Following this, a young orange-and-black she-cat stepped inside, carrying three tiny bundles of fuzz in her mouth. It was Emberpaw, Watersplash's apprentice- or at least former apprentice; she was apparently being trained by Shellsong now.

Emberpaw set down the kits on the floor of the warriors' den. There were three of them, and thankfully they were asleep- any mewling would certainly have woken up the sleeping warriors. "Watersplash already gave them names," Emberpaw informed him. Grasstail was perfectly fine with that- he'd have been awful at coming up with names himself. "This one is Sprucekit, this is Ripplekit, and this little one is Featherkit."

Grasstail looked the kits over. Sprucekit looked like a perfect combination of his parents; Ripplekit must have gotten her black colouring from Watersplash's side; and Featherkit looked just like Owlwing, which made Grasstail appreciate the name, and he wondered if Watersplash had taken that into consideration while naming the cream-coloured kit.

"They're all beautiful," he breathed. Then he remembered his current situation and his spirits utterly deflated. "But I can't take care of them!"

Emberpaw gave Mossnose a quizzical look. "That wasn't what Watersplash said," she whispered to the medicine cat. "She told us to give the kits to Grasstail, and then he'd give them to his sister!"

Mossnose stiffened. "Ah… yes, that was what she said, wasn't it?" she muttered, looking very uncomfortable, as if it had suddenly grown hotter. "But, Grasstail, don't you think it might be more fitting for the father of the kits to raise them?"

"I have depression, Mossnose," Grasstail objected. "Until my mental health improves- which there's no guarantee it ever permanently will- I'm just not suited to raise kits."

"Depression?" Mossnose sniffed, wrinkling her nose disdainfully. "You need to get your mind off of whatever's troubling you."

Grasstail's pelt prickled with irritation. As a medicine cat, shouldn't Mossnose understand that depression couldn't be cured with words? She certainly was a lot older than Podtail, he noticed with an apprehensive shudder. She wasn't as old as Sandstar or Roseflower, but she had clearly come from a generation well before Grasstail's. Perhaps that meant that her ideas were more old-fashioned, too.

"What's wrong with Appleshine and Barkstripe raising the kits?" Emberpaw pried. "They'll still be being raised by kin."

Mossnose gave no reply, which was in and of itself all the reply Grasstail needed. "It's because they're both she-cats, isn't it?" he meowed flatly- more of a statement than a question, really, because he already knew the answer. "You fleabag," he added under his breath.

"Well, do whatever you like with the kits; I don't care!" Mossnose hissed, raising her voice a bit too much for Grasstail's comfort. Next to her, Emberpaw was looking increasingly uncomfortable. "My only concern is that you keep them safe… and that means keeping them well away from their mother- or more accurately, their grandmother."

She exited the den, Emberpaw following behind, before Grasstail could ask her to clarify what she meant about the kits' grandmother. He knew Watersplash had spoken about her mother to him before, but she hadn't made Minnowleap out to be dangerous. What did Mossnose know that he didn't?

 _She probably doesn't know anything,_ Grasstail thought bitterly as he stared at the kits and wondered what he was supposed to do now. _She's probably just trying to scare me into staying away from Watersplash._ Well, it wouldn't work. They'd made their relationship work for this long; bringing kits into the equation wouldn't change that.

"You know, I really can't stand you."

Watersplash flicked her ear disdainfully as she glared up at Oakleaf, who had sidled up to her uninvited as she was trying to pick out a piece of fresh-kill. "Care to elaborate?' she asked dryly. She had no time for Oakleaf, and she wanted him to know it.

Oakleaf drew his lips back in a snarl, but only the slightest bit- there were cats all around them, after all. That fact alone made Watersplash a whole lot calmer than she would have been otherwise. It meant he couldn't do anything to her without drawing attention.

When Oakleaf didn't offer up any further commentary, Watersplash snorted and went back to picking through the fresh-kill pile. She settled on a trout, but when she went to grab it, Oakleaf stepped in front of her. Beavertail, who was busy selecting something at the same time, gave them a quizzical look, and Oakleaf noticed and stepped out of Watersplash's way.

As soon as the trout was between her jaws, she scampered off toward Shellsong and Mallowheart, who were sharing tongues by the edge of camp. She took a seat next to her friends, who didn't seem too pleased to see her. Oakleaf stalked around a few tail-lengths away for a few minutes while Watersplash ate her trout as slowly as possible. She tried to make conversation with Shellsong and Mallowheart, but Mallowheart said nothing whatsoever and Shellsong only gave the most bare-bones answers to her questions and didn't ask any in return. Once she was done eating, she stood up and padded toward the warriors' den. Sure enough, Oakleaf headed in that direction too, so Watersplash changed her direction, instead heading toward the Shale Hill. Her paws itched to get out and do something, so her shoulders sagged with relief when she saw that a patrol was being organized.

"I'll join," she offered eagerly.

Storkflight nodded to her. "All right," the deputy meowed.

Watersplash dipped her head gratefully, and stepped into place beside Smokefur, Coalpaw, and-

Her pelt prickled as she realized that Foxfang was there as well. She hadn't interacted with him much since she'd been his apprentice, and the few words they had exchanged since then had been tense and awkward. Now, he stiffly nodded to her, a gesture which she returned with a suppressed shudder.

The patrol set out, headed for- Watersplash sucked in a breath- the WindClan border. Upon realizing where they were headed, Watersplash felt like tearing her pelt out. Why did it always have to be WindClan?! She deeply hoped that they wouldn't encounter Grasstail or any of his friends.

As it turned out, they did not encounter him. However, they did encounter a lone warrior. The patrol drew to a halt as she bounded up to the border, ears pricked with interest.

"What are you doing here?" the cat, who Watersplash recognized as Barkstripe, demanded. "You don't plan on invading, do you?"

Watersplash could tell from the twinkle in Barkstripe's eye that she wasn't serious, but Foxfang must not have been so in-tune. "We're on our side of the border," he hissed, stepping forward and sliding his claws out pre-emptively. "And I highly suggest you stay on yours as well."

Barkstripe's nostrils flared in what looked like a mixture of amusement and genuine anger. "Well, somebody's in a bad mood," she sniffed, narrowing her eyes. Then her eyes wandered over to Watersplash and she perked up. "Hey there, Watersplash! I trust you're doing well?"

"Hardly," Smokefur muttered darkly. "She lost all of her kits."

"Oh, no!" Barkstripe's eyes went round with dismay that Watersplash wouldn't have been able to tell was feigned had she not known that the WindClan warrior was the one raising Watersplash's kits. "That's terrible."

"Why should you care, rabbit-chaser?" Foxfang snapped. From the way the fur on the back on his neck was standing on end, Watersplash could tell that they were about thirty seconds away from a fight breaking out if things continued on this way.

Barkstripe glared at Foxfang. "Excuse me," she shot back, "I was trying to be sympathetic!"

"We don't want your sympathy!"

Not giving Barkstripe a chance to respond, Foxfang lunged at her, crossing the border as he did so. Smokefur let out a frustrated hiss, holding Coalpaw back when his apprentice jumped forward to join in. Barkstripe threw Foxfang off of her and arched her back, hissing.

Watersplash moved forward to break the fight up. "Hey, knock it off," she cried. "We don't want any trouble here!"

Shaking his pelt out, Foxfang shook his head. "The Clans have lived in peace for too long," he hissed. "When I was young, we were constantly fighting. It was what kept us warriors! Now we might as well be kittypets!"

"Foxfang, that's mouse-dung and you know it," Smokefur reasoned. "We still do things the warrior way. There's no reason to sacrifice peace for glory."

Smokefur's logic was sound, but Foxfang was not one to be reasoned with. He dismissed his Clanmates' protests and swiped at Barkstripe, who knocked the blow aside, looking more irritated then outraged.

"Can you please deal with your Clanmate?" she hissed. "I have a mate and kits to look after, and I don't think they-"

Barkstripe was cut off as Coalpaw wriggled out of Smokefur's grip and tackled her to the ground. Smokefur and Watersplash lunged forward; Watersplash sunk her teeth into Coalpaw's scruff and dragged the nearly-grown cat off of Barkstripe while Smokefur held Foxfang back. Coalpaw twisted around and drew his claws down Watersplash's muzzle. Pain shot through her for a moment, causing her to lose her hold on him. In that time, the apprentice lunged at Smokefur, digging his claws into his pelt.

"Coalpaw, what in StarClan's name are you doing?!" Smokefur bellowed, twisting around to throw his apprentice off. Fortunately, Coalpaw shrunk back, and even Foxfang's fur flattened out somewhat. "You've both gone insane!"

Smokefur's commanding tone never failed to impress Watersplash. She was sure that her cousin would be the next deputy after Cranefeather. Before long, he'd gotten his apprentice under control, and Foxfang, despite still glaring across the border and lashing his tail, didn't keep trying to start a fight.

All in all, the patrol had gone quite poorly, and nobody was looking forward to having to tell Miststar about how it had gone. Still, Watersplash was glad to have run into Barkstripe. It was nice to at least have some contact with one of the cats who was raising her kits.

Grasstail padded back into the WindClan camp after a long day of hunting, a rabbit clamped firmly in his jaws. No sooner had he dropped it on the fresh-kill pile than he was intercepted by a running leap from a tiny ball of cream-coloured fuzz.

Although Featherkit was nowhere near big enough to knock him over, he made a big show out of falling to the ground. "I have been defeated," he cried, tossing his head back dramatically. "You truly are the mighty warrior!"

Featherkit jumped off of him, giggling. "You're so weak, Grasstail," he purred, wrinkling his tiny pink nose. "I bet even a bunny could beat you up!"

"Oh, yeah?" Grasstail pointed his tail at the rabbit he'd just brought back. "Tell that to this rabbit!"

Ripplekit appeared at her littermate's side, followed shortly by Sprucekit, although the latter tripped over his paws on the way there. They both jumped on Grasstail, letting out playful battle cries. Grasstail play-fought with his kits for a while, careful not to hurt them for real, until Appleshine ran up to them and pulled them off him. Sprucekit let out a mewl of protest as he was plucked off, but Ripplekit and Featherkit each went completely still as soon as Appleshine dug her fangs into their scruffs and didn't put up any resistance.

"You kits shouldn't pester Grasstail like that," Appleshine scolded them. "Remember, he doesn't always have as much energy as me and Barkstripe!"

"It's fine," Grasstail assured her as he stood up and gave himself a couple of licks to clean his pelt off. "Today's a good day for me."

The truth was, he felt like his mood could crash again any day, especially with the increasingly depressing weather. He wanted to get in as much playtime with his kits as possible before that happened. Besides, their denmates were much older, and had no interest in playing with kits who were less than a moon old; Flamekit and Heatherkit would no doubt be made apprentices very soon. Grasstail just hoped that Sandstar wouldn't asign either of the rambunctious young cats to him; an apprentice was definitely more than Grasstail would be able to handle.

Barkstripe, who'd been out hunting with Grasstail, gave Appleshine a lick on the head. "How's everything holding up?" she purred with a twinkle in her eye as she looked over their adoptive kits. "I hope these three haven't gotten up to too much trouble."

"We've been good," mewed Sprucekit. He looked back and forth between his littermates. "Right?"

Ripplekit bobbed her head up and down. Featherkit stared at the ground and didn't say anything.

"Featherkit," Barkstripe scolded, "have you been naughty?"

"They've been fine," Appleshine assured her. She gave her mate a playful headbutt. "So, I take it the hunting went well?"

"Mm-hmm."

Grasstail watched contentedly as his littermate and her mate made light, teasing conversation. The kits were getting bigger every day. Featherkit remained the smallest, but he was catching up with his littermates quickly. Ripplekit was, out of the three, the one who looked the most like a WindClan cat, but with the sleek, oily pelt of a RiverClan cat. As for Sprucekit, the saturation of his pelt had decreased noticeably as he grew, and now he just looked like an ordinary gray tomkit. However, as his fur grew out, tabby stripes were becoming visible in his fur. Grasstail had had a faint tabby pattern himself when he'd been younger that had faded out over time, and he wondered whether or not his son's tabby stripes were going to stick around as he grew up.

One thing that Grasstail became more certain of with each passing day was that Sprucekit and Ripplekit were the kits he kept dreaming about. He didn't know why Featherkit was never in those dreams, but did it really matter? Two of his kits were going to be in grave danger sometime in the near future, and Grasstail had no idea what to do or how to prevent it.

Maybe Watersplash would have some advice for him. He made a mental note to talk with her at the next Gathering. He really wanted to see her more often, but he never got the chance. He wanted the kits to know who their biological parents were. He just wasn't sure when he was going to get the chance to arrange such a meeting.

"Hey, Grasstail, can you give me a badger ride?" Sprucekit asked. Grasstail's whiskers twitched in amusement as the kit started climbing on top of him without even waiting for an answer.

"Sure," Grasstail meowed. He bent down and let Sprucekit hop on his back. "Here we go!"

He started to run around. Ripplekit and Featherkit ran after them, nipping at Grasstail's heels; Sprucekit encouraged him to run faster to throw them off, but Grasstail didn't want to run too fast and risk having the kit fly off. Before long, Featherkit got tired out and fell over, leading Ripplekit to trip over him. She shrieked as she tumbled to the ground; Sprucekit turned around and stuck his tongue out at them as Grasstail widened the distance between them.

Having kits really was one of the best things that could happen to a cat, Grasstail reflected as Sprucekit hopped off his back and thanked him for the badger ride. It was just a shame these kits didn't know that Grasstail was their father.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hey, sorry I haven't been uploading as much as I used to. This story is going to be wrapping up soon, but in the meantime, I've got a question: is it worth it to upload fanfiction for a rarepair from a show that ended years ago and whose fandom is now completely dead? Because I've got like a metric tonne of Hiro/Ando fluff sitting on my computer that I don't know what to do with. Anyways uhhh enjoy the cats**

The full moon shone brightly overhead, illuminating the cluster of cats making their way to the island. Frost covered the log bridge and the stepping stones that the other Clans used to cross the water; they'd probably slip off if they tried to use them. It was a good thing that Watersplash and her Clanmates were used to just wading across anyway, but she shivered nonetheless from the iciness of the lake. Especially after the lift snowfall they'd had the other day, there was no denying it: leaf-bare was here.

Watersplash was glad that Miststar had picked her to go to the Gathering; he'd made her stay home for the past three moons since she'd "lost" her kits and needed time to recover. She was even gladder that Oakleaf wasn't among the cats who were going. She did her best to steer clear of the auburn tom, but it was impossible to completely avoid a Clanmate for moons on end. Tonight she wouldn't have to worry about his hazel gaze burning into her pelt, and she could catch up with her friends from WindClan without having to worry about him seeing.

RiverClan was the first Clan to arrive at the Gathering that night, although as her Clanmates began to idly mill about the clearing, Watersplash was alerted to the fact that they were not the first cats. A rustle came from the bushes next to where she sat down at the edge of the clearing, followed shortly by a greenish-gray paw reaching out to tap her on the flank, getting her attention.

More exasperated than surprised to have him be there at this point, she glanced back to see that no cat was watching before ducking into the undergrowth to talk to Grasstail.

"Couldn't you have waited ten minutes for the rest of your Clan to get here?' she whispered, whiskers twitching in a mixture of amusement and frustration.

Grasstail's eyes glittered as he replied, "I couldn't wait another second to see the cat I love."

As flattering as it was, Watersplash wasn't so easily distracted by Grasstail's romantic statements as she'd been as an apprentice. "I love you, too, Grasstail," she sighed, "but I need to know why you're here early."

"Well, aren't you the romantic?" Grasstail purred. When Watersplash began to twitch her tail, he got the hint and explained himself. "I didn't come alone," he whispered. Before Watersplash could ask what he meant, he looked behind him and beckoned with his tail. "Okay, you can come out now."

After a bit of scuffling accentuated by a squeal of "hey, you stepped on my tail!", three fluffy kits appeared next to Grasstail. Watersplash gasped as soon as she saw them, recognizing them instantly. They were _their_ kits!

Looking at the three of them sent a wave of overwhelming motherly love washing over Watersplash. They had all gotten so much bigger! She'd been worried that Featherkit, being so small, wouldn't survive for long, but he was standing proudly next to his littermates, almost matching them in size. Ripplekit already looked very mature for three moons, and carried herself in what could only be described a regal manner. And Sprucekit… he reminded Watersplash so much of how Grasstail had looked when she'd first met him. The only difference was how much thicker his pelt was. She took a step toward her kits, unable to put her feelings into words. This was the happiest day of her life!

She bent down to nuzzle her kits, but they drew back. Sprucekit's pelt bristled, and Featherkit ducked behind Ripplekit, who was eyeing Watersplash warily. A jolt of realization caused Watersplash's elation to crumble away in an instant- these kits were biologically hers and Grasstail's, but to them Grasstail was an uncle, not a father. Worse, they didn't even know Watersplash… and she didn't know them, either. She could only assume Grasstail had explained the situation, seeing as he'd brought them here to meet her, but…

"Hey, what are you doing?" Grasstail murmured to the kits, nudging them forward. "This is Watersplash- your mother."

Wide-eyed, Ripplekit shook her head vehemently. "Nuh-uh," she cried, wrinkling her nose. "Appleshine and Barkstripe are our mothers, not her!"

"She's not even WindClan," Sprucekit added, narrowing his dark green eyes. "She can't be our mother!"

Watersplash was distraught. She stared at Grasstail, searching for answers in his distressed gaze. Looking back at her, he shook his head at the kits huddled around him apprehensively.

"Kits, we've already been over this!" he meowed. "Remember what I told you? My sister and her mate are raising you as their kits, but you didn't come from them. You came from me," he told them, locking eyes with Watersplash, "And Watersplash."

The kits still seemed sceptical, but Featherkit slowly stepped out from behind his sister. He padded up to Watersplash and sniffed at her curiously. Every fibre of Watersplash's being screamed for her to pull him in close to her, but she remained still as he cautiously walked in a circle around her.

"…You look like Sprucekit," he said at last.

"Yeah, you kind of do," Ripplekit agreed, looking her brother up and down and then looking at Watersplash.

Sprucekit let out an indignant squeak. "No way do I look like her!"

However, Featherkit was already standing up on his hind legs to touch his muzzle to Watersplash's. Ripplekit followed him shortly after, and Sprucekit ran up after her trying to stop her, but then he locked eyes with Watersplash and, after drawing in a sharp breath, buried his face in her fur. A tremendous purr rumbling through her body, Watersplash curled her tail around all three of her kits. Grasstail stood beside them, and Watersplash entwined her tail with his affectionately as their kits cuddled up to her.

Even if it was only for a moment, they were a family.

The Gathering itself was fairly unremarkable. RiverClan had four new warriors, though, one of which Grasstail remembered had been Watersplash's apprentice before her pregnancy. He made sure to chant the new warriors' names along with the rest of the crowd.

"Smokecloud! Coalpelt! Snakestripe! Emberstorm!"

Among the numerous chanters, he could distinctly make out Watersplash's voice as well from across the clearing. He'd wanted to stand beside her, but he didn't want to let any other cats on to the fact that they were close. Their kits were hiding in the undergrowth, being watched over by Seedpelt. Grasstail knew his friend wouldn't let anything happen to the kits, but his pelt pricked with worry nonetheless whenever he thought of them. Because of this, he couldn't have been happier when the Gathering finally came to a close and it was time to leave.

While every cat was saying their goodbyes to their friends from other Clans, Grasstail headed over to Seedpelt to pick up his kits. He crouched in the undergrowth until most of the cats had left before running out to join his Clanmates. It was dark enough that he hoped they wouldn't notice the kits, but he planned on hanging back quite a bit just to make sure.

Before he left, he said goodbye to Watersplash.

"Thank you so much for bringing our kits," she purred, licking his ears affectionately. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I have some idea," Grasstail replied. "They're my kits too, remember?"

Watersplash gave him a playful headbutt. "Let's meet by the old halfbridge tomorrow night," she meowed. "You don't have to bring the kits this time if you don't want; it can be just the two of us."

"Oh, I like that idea," Grasstail purred. His body already tingled at the prospect of getting a night alone with Watersplash. "I'll be there."

Just then, an incredulous voice protruded into what they'd thought was a private exchange. "Watersplash? What in StarClan's name is going on here?!"

Pelts bristling, Grasstail spun around to see a middle-aged RiverClan she-cat staring them down. She had a dazzling silver pelt that looked strange on a face to similar to Watersplash's.

"Minnowleap!" Watersplash gasped, shrinking back in terror. Her eyes darted to the kits, who were hiding behind Grasstail but still completely visible. She gulped.

Suddenly Grasstail remembered who this was. "Minnowleap… you're Watersplash's mother!" he breathed.

Minnowleap's blue eyes were ice cold as she stared her daughter down. "Watersplash, what is the meaning on this?" she hissed. "What is this WindClan filth doing here? And what," she demanded, wrinkling her nose in disgust as he glared down at the trembling kits, "Are those miserable little furballs?!"

Watersplash didn't even make an attempt to answer. Grasstail couldn't blame her; he was equally terrified. He'd never met Watersplash's mother in person before, but he'd never imagined she could be so frightening. He curled his tail around their kits protectively as she sneered distastefully at them.

Sprucekit hissed at Minnowleap. It didn't even take her a second to take a swipe at the kit, who flinched as her claws whizzed by his head. Ripplekit let out a terrified shriek, wrapping her front paws around Featherkit. Grasstail snarled. How dare this cat try to harm his kit?!

"Mother," Watersplash hissed, "You have no reason to hurt these kits! Just let them and Grasstail go home!"

"And why should you care about that, hmm?" Minnowleap inquired, narrowing her eyes. When Watersplash didn't answer, she pulled her lips back into a snarl. "Answer me!"

Watersplash flinched as Minnowleap raised her paw, and Grasstail realized with a shudder that he had seen Watersplash with unexplained scratches on her face on a few occasions. He'd always assumed she'd got them from battles, but the Clans had been living in peace for so long… had she gotten those scratches from her mother?!

Hissing, Minnowleap confirmed Grasstail's horrifying suspicions by taking a swipe at Watersplash. Unable to stand by any longer, Grasstail leaped at Minnowleap and tackled her to the ground. "Get away from us!" he snarled.

Minnowleap spat at Grasstail. Hissing, he recoiled and wiped off his face, but in that time, Minnowleap grabbed him and flipped him around so that she was on top. She dug her claws into Grasstail's neck, drawing up pinpricks of blood where her claws were slowly sinking in deeper. He fought against her, but she was overpowering him. He screeched in pain as Minnowleap's claws slid further in toward his throat.

Watersplash yowled in protest. She tackled her mother and pushed her off of Grasstail, who wasted no time in getting up and scrambling away. Blood dripped from his neck onto the frosty shore of the lake as Watersplash and Minnowleap fought. The kits needed to get to safety, but Grasstail wasn't about to abandon the cat he loved. Watersplash was an excellent fighter, but she couldn't fight Minnowleap. The mere presence of her mother made her too afraid to fend for herself.

"Stop!" Grasstail yowled.

Minnowleap froze with her teeth a whisker-length away from Watersplash's shoulder. She let her daughter go; Watersplash scrambled to Grasstail's side and glared defiantly at her mother.

Grasstail wished there was another way, but the only way he could think of to get Minnowleap to leave Watersplash alone was to give her what she was after: the truth. "Those are our kits," he admitted. "Watersplash's litter wasn't stillborn; that was a lie Mossnose made up to keep her secret safe." He gazed sadly at Watersplash, who was staring at him incredulously. "I'm sorry."

Before either Watersplash or Minnowleap could react, he gathered up his kits and ran away without looking back.

Watersplash didn't dare look at Minnowleap as they walked back to camp. She wanted to run away, but she knew better than to try something like that. Neither of them said a word to each other for the rest of the night. Watersplash had a hard time getting to sleep, and when she did, she had another nightmare about falling into water. She woke up, pelt drenched in sweat despite the freezing temperatures outside, before the sun had risen.

Outside, they were organizing the dawn patrol. Watersplash wanted to join them so she wouldn't have to be around for when Minnowleap woke up, but she changed her mind very fast when she saw that Oakleaf was going to be part of it. Choosing between Minnowleap and Oakleaf was like choosing between having to fight a fox or a badger, but at least Minnowleap was kin, and Watersplash knew that she loved her no matter what.

And, sure enough, that was the first thing Minnowleap said when she tracked Watersplash down a few minutes later.

"I love you, you know," she meowed with gentle sternness. "You are my special little cat- the future saviour of the Clans, isn't that right?"

Watersplash was unsure how to answer that, but luckily, she didn't have to, as Minnowleap went on:

"But then again, maybe you're not so special after all… in fact, you've never done anything special in your life." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm starting to think that stupid prophecy Mossnose talked about is never going to come true at all!"

"B-but you still love me, right?" Watersplash asked nervously. It was fish-brained for her to be so nervous. Of course Minnowleap still loved her; they were mother and daughter!

To her relief, Minnowleap blinked at her kindly. "Of course I do, my little water droplet," she purred. She licked the top of Watersplash's head, but although Watersplash should have felt warmth spread throughout her body, she shuddered instead. "After all, even without a prophecy, it looks like you've got something special that you were hiding from me," Minnowleap went on. "Now, naturally I'm not very pleased by you associating with that pathetic WindClan tom- you know they're all beneath us, Watersplash- but to be the mother of secret half-Clan kits? That's something very special."

Something about the way she spoke was deeply unsettling. Watersplash glanced around, wishing she could run away, but there was nowhere she could go. Running away from her mother would raise too much suspicion, and besides, Minnowleap could follow her wherever she went.

"Oh yes indeed; StarClan's got something special in store for you yet," Minnowleap continued. "And besides, there's still time yet for that prophecy to come true…"

Fortunately, she didn't say any more to Watersplash. However, after selecting a trout from the fresh-kill pile, she sat down to eat a bit too nearby for Watersplash's comfort. When Emberstorm called her over to show her the last leaf on one of the trees at the edge of camp, Watersplash couldn't have been more grateful to get away.

Maybe having kits with Grasstail really did make her special. However, Watersplash wished that it didn't. If only Grasstail had been in RiverClan, everything in Watersplash's life would have been so much better.


	34. Chapter 34

As the icy claws of leaf-bare closed around the lake territories, the health of elderly cats deteriorated. It was only a few days after Lilyflower's kits were made apprentices (the newly named Flamepaw and Heatherpaw were apprenticed to Rabbitleap and Seedpelt respectively) that their mother collapsed and was rushed into the nursery. Runningfoot stayed by her side the whole day, as did Sandstar when Gorsewind was stricken with illness and ultimately died a few days later. After that, the leader retreated into his den, where he would not let any cat talk to him.

On the nights when Grasstail was able to meet with Watersplash, the first thing she would ask was how their kits were doing. He always loved seeing the relief that lit up her eyes when he informed her of their wellbeing. It filled him with hope that their kits would get through leaf-bare unscathed by the various coughs that ran rampant through the Clans. Sometimes he would sneak the kits out of camp so she could see them for herself. Featherkit still seemed a bit afraid of her, but Ripplekit seemed to have warmed up to her quite a bit, and Sprucekit even seemed to look forward to visiting her. It was good to see that Grasstail's kits knew who their biological mother was, although he and Watersplash both understood that first and foremost, Appleshine and Barkstripe would always be who the kits saw as their true parents.

One snow-dusted morning, Podtail requested that Grasstail come with him as an escort to RiverClan.

"At the last half-moon gathering Mossnose said that her herb supplies were running dangerously low, and I've managed to gather up enough that I can afford to lend her some," the medicine cat explained.

"Why do you want me to come with you?' Grasstail inquired, ears pricked in curiosity and apprehension. Was it a random choice, or did Podtail know something about Grasstail's connection with RiverClan?

To his relief, Podtail gestured around the mostly empty camp; only Appleshine and the kits were outside at the moment. "I'll need some cat to help carry the herbs, and you're the only cat available," he meowed. He narrowed his eyes as Grasstail's shoulders involuntarily slumped with relief. "…Why, what did you think was my motivation for asking you?"

"No, no," Grasstail said quickly. Not wanting to give Podtail any time to form suspicions, he stood up and shook his pelt out; some snow had been falling onto it as he sat out in the open to eat his breakfast. He found the cold air helped rejuvenate him. "Let's get going, then."

Podtail went into his den to fetch the herbs they'd be taking and they set off. Once they reached RiverClan territory, Grasstail slowed down a bit, pretending he'd never set paw across the border before. They were lucky enough not to be intercepted by any patrols, so Grasstail was free to look around at his surroundings. Snow was drifting down a few flakes at a time against a pale gray sky, making a lovely backdrop for the frozen stream that ran over the frost-coated, pebbly banks. Combined with the tangy scent of the herbs Grasstail was carrying in a leaf wrap, it filled him with an energetic sensation, and part of him suddenly wanted to run around and bat at snowflakes like a kit. His own kits had been playing the same game back at camp, and they'd looked like they were having fun.

Being in such a good mood made Grasstail want to run up to Watersplash and roll around with her in the snow as soon as they reached the RiverClan camp, and he reminded himself sternly that he couldn't do that when other cats would be watching. Instead, he simply hung back as Podtail went up to Miststar, explained why he was there, and went to see Mossnose.

As he was waiting for the medicine cats to make their exchange, he spotted Minnowleap lurking over by the warriors' den a couple fox-lengths away. She made eye contact with him, hissed, and promptly looked away. However, when Grasstail turned away from her, he felt the fur on the back of his neck prickle, and when he turned back around he saw that she was staring at him.

"What do you want?' he demanded, not caring about the surprised looks it garnered from a few other RiverClan warriors.

Minnowleap stalked over to him, lips drawn back in a scowl. "I want you to get out of here, WindClan fleabag," she told him. "Watersplash is out fishing at the river right now, and I _don't_ want you around when she gets back."

 _I should go visit her_ , Grasstail thought despite knowing better. He quickly shoved the idea to the back of his head. "Don't worry," he meowed to Minnowleap as diplomatically as he could manage. "As soon as Podtail gives Mossnose his herbs, we'll be gone."

That answer seemed to satisfy Minnowleap. Her coiled muscles relaxed, and she asked him in a sickly-sweet purr, "That reminds me… how are your lovely kits doing?"

"They're fine," Grasstail replied, pads prickling with apprehension. He could detect a layer of threat to Minnowleap's voice, and though he hoped he was imagining it, he was not at all confident that he was. "What of it?"

"My, my, Grasstail… why so suspicious?" Minnowleap trilled. She raised her voice slightly as she continued, "Can't a cat simply be interested in hearing how their grandkits are doing?"

Grasstail sucked in a short, sharp breath. The icy air made it sting the inside of his mouth. Fortunately, no cat appeared to have heard Minnowleap, but from the smug look on her face he doubted she would have been opposed to one of her Clanmates happening to overhear.

Just as he was about to confront her, Podtail emerged from Mossnose's den. "Come on, Grasstail," he called. "It's time to leave."

"Coming," Grasstail told him. He shot Minnowleap a glare of warning before following after Podtail.

A fish was coming near the hole in the ice. Watersplash narrowed her vision in on the creature as it swam toward her waiting paw. When it was close enough, she hooked her claws into the fish and pulled her front leg out of the hole. She laid the fish down on the ice and killed it before pushing it over to join the other two she'd caught.

She tucked the leg she'd just been using in under her chest and stuck her other front leg through the hole to wait for another fish to come along. Alternating paws meant that neither one would get too cold. She'd heard stories of cats losing appendages due to extreme cold, and Watersplash wasn't willing to take that risk. Stories like that always terrified her. She didn't like to hear about misfortune falling on other cats.

After waiting for a while with no fish coming along, Watersplash's belly grumbled and she decided it was time to head back. She hadn't eaten that morning, and now it was nearly sunhigh. She gathered up her catch and returned to camp, where she added two of the three fish she'd caught to the fresh-kill pile and taking the smallest for herself. Maybe it was bad to eat her own prey, but most of her Clanmates had already eaten, so she felt it was probably okay.

As she settled down to eat her fish, she noticed an out-of-place scent in the air- WindClan scent. Had Grasstail been here?

Emberstorm padded up to her and sat down next to her. "Grasstail was here this morning," she supplied when she saw Watersplash sniffing the air curiously. "He came with Podtail to give Mossnose some herbs."

"Did everything go well?" Watersplash inquired.

"Oh, yeah, everything went fine," Emberstorm assured her. Then the bi-coloured cat got a strange look in her eyes. "…Your mother was talking a bit to him, though. I don't think they like each other very much."

Minnowleap had been talking to Grasstail? Watersplash shuddered. "What did she say?"

Emberstorm shrugged. "I wasn't close enough to hear," she meowed, "But I'm pretty sure they mentioned your guys' kits."

That wasn't good. Worry pricked at Watersplash's pelt as she gulped down the last of her fish. Minnowleap may have claimed to be supportive of Watersplash having had kits with Grasstail, but she no longer trusted her mother- at least not where Grasstail and the kits were concerned. The kits may have been nearly four moons old now, but they still wouldn't stand a chance against Minnowleap if she ever decided to harm them.

Watersplash's fear for her kits only increased the next day, when a sudden warm spell hit the lake. Every other cat was glad to have most of the snow melt away, even though they surely knew it would come back within a week or so once the weather returned to normal, but for Watersplash, a warm spell only meant one thing: that the dark clouds gathering over the lake meant rain, not snow, was coming. And rain, combined with the possibility of danger for the kits, meant that the nightmares Watersplash kept having might finally come true.

When the rain first started to come down, it only served to wash away more of the snow, which every cat loved- every cat except for Watersplash. She met with Grasstail at the border one evening and expressed her fears to him, which he seemed to share as well. However, he assured her that everything would be all right.

"Don't worry," he promised. "I will never let anything happen to our kits."

"Thank you," Watersplash meowed, wishing she could fully believe him. "If there's anything I can do to help keep them safe, I'll do it."

Grasstail gave her a reassuring lick on the forehead. "Were you the one raising our kits," he told her, "I know I'd never need to worry about them being in danger, because you're strong enough to protect them from anything."

Later that same night, as the rain beat down outside, Watersplash struggled to get to sleep. Every fibre of her body was on edge. Every raindrop that fell was a claw sinking into her pelt, piercing her skin and drawing up tiny pinpricks of blood that then blossomed into giant scratches running all down her face and legs and sides and all over her body. Every time thunder boomed the ground seemed to shake; every flash of lightning that momentarily illuminated the damp, tightly enclosed warriors' den shone light on things Watersplash wasn't sure if she wanted to see. The outlines of her sleeping Clanmates looked like monsters waiting to devour her if she dared to move a whisker-length out of place. The storm meant the threat of danger, and the threat of danger put sleep absolutely out of the question.

However, she must have eventually drifted off, because she was woken at shortly past moonhigh by a particularly loud clap of thunder. She jolted bolt upright in her nest and scanned the den with wide, fearful eyes. A tremor ran down Watersplash's spine as she realized that Minnowleap's nest was empty. Where had her mother gone?

There was no time to wait around and find out. Watersplash rose from her nest and, carefully stepping around her sleeping Clanmates, stepped out into the storm. The rain fell in unrelenting, icy drops that buffeted her pelt, which was billowing in the fearsome winds. The stream was spilling over the banks, and the entire RiverClan camp was covered with water over a mouse-length deep. Tiny chunks of ice floated in the water, and when Watersplash's paw bumped up against one as she slogged through the ankle-deep flood, she bit back a yowl of surprise.

The camp was deserted- no sign of Minnowleap. A flash of lightning illuminated the jagged, imposing outline of Shale Hill, and Watersplash recalled her nightmares once again. She knew at once where her mother had gone… and what she planned to do.

Ears pressed flat against his head, Grasstail shut his eyes and did his best to block out the howling wind and sheets of heavy rain that beat down outside. He thought back to how terrified Watersplash had looked when she'd met him at the border a few hours ago. He'd done his best to seem brave for her sake, but the truth was, he was terrified to. Knowing Watersplash, she was most likely well aware of this' despite Grasstail's reassurances, they both knew that they couldn't fight destiny. If StarClan intended for harm to fall upon their kits tonight, it would inevitably be so.

Next to him, Berryheart whimpered. Seedpelt, whose nest was besides hers, put a paw around her back comfortingly. Her whimpering quieted down a bit, and Seedpelt pressed his muzzle into the back of her neck. As Grasstail looked on with a mixture of bemusement and bewilderment, their breathing fell into sync as they cuddled up together. He'd never imagined there being anything between those two. Then again, maybe there wasn't. Maybe it was just a display of solidarity during the storm. Usually the cat who'd be comforting Berryheart was Appleshine, but she was in the nursery that night, watching over the kits.

As lightning lit up the pitch-black sky, Barkstripe worked her claws into the ground anxiously. "I should go join Appleshine in the nursery," she murmured to what seemed to be no cat in particular. "I think the kits could use some extra comfort tonight- and so could I."

"Go, then," Grasstail told her. He tried to hide the full extent of his tension as he meowed, "The more cats are looking after my kits, the better."

Barkstripe nodded in agreement, and she padded out of the warriors' den, flinching as soon as she stepped out into the rain. Grasstail closed his eyes and resumed trying to get to sleep. However, a moment later he heard a faint gasp from over by the nursery, followed shortly by Barkstripe's horrified yowl as she ran back to the warriors' den.

"The kits!" she cried, eyes wide in panic. "A-Appleshine's been attacked, and… Sprucekit and Ripplekit are missing!"

Grasstail was immediately on his paws. "Show me," he demanded.

Barkstripe led him to the nursery and ran directly to her mate's side. Appleshine was slumped, unconscious, against a wall; Featherkit was crouched behind her. The other two kits were nowhere to be found. A horrified chill rippling through his pelt, Grasstail tasted the air. He cursed under his breath as he recognized a fishy scent that hung in the air.

"There's been an intruder," Barkstripe meowed, speaking what Grasstail had been about to say. "Someone from RiverClan."

Grasstail knew exactly who it was. "Minnowleap," he hissed, curling his lip. Her name tasted sour on his tongue. That fox-hearted mange-pelt had stolen his kits and hurt his sister- right after he'd promised Watersplash he'd keep their kits safe. He'd let her down so badly that even if they managed to rescue their kits, Grasstail doubted she'd ever forgive him. His fur bristled and he dug his claws into the ground, tearing up clumps of frost-covered grass and half-frozen dirt. Why was he such a failure?!

Barkstripe rested her tail on his back reassuringly. "It's not your fault, Grasstail," she told him. "I should have been in here instead of Appleshine."

She dropped her gaze to her unconscious mate. Closer inspection revealed a bump forming on the back of Appleshine's head; it looked like she'd received a heavy blow to the head which had knocked her out. With a soft whimper uncharacteristic of the powerful tabby, Barkstripe licked Appleshine's ear and brought Featherkit in close to her. The cream-coloured kit's entire body was trembling, and his pale eyes were glazed over in shock. The sight caused a pang of pity in Grasstail, but as much as he was upset by the situation, he felt oddly detached from it all. All he could think about was how he'd let Watersplash down. To think that the mother of the cat he loved could be so cruel… and that he himself should be so useless, despite all his hollow promises of protection…

"You have to go after her," Barkstripe whispered hoarsely as she buried her muzzle in Appleshine's scruff, Featherkit gave a shaky nod of agreement. "Don't worry," she added. "I'll look after Featherkit, and I'll take Appleshine to Podtail. Everything's going to be alright."

Barkstripe sounded like she was trying to convince herself of this as much as, or perhaps even more so than, Grasstail. He couldn't have been farther from believing it, but he repeated the sentence inside his head nonetheless as he gave her a solemn nod and ran out into the storm in search of his kidnapped kits.

 _Everything's going to be alright._

He had to think that, even if he didn't truly believe it, for Watersplash's sake if not his own. He had to tell himself that they and their kits would make it through this alive and together. After all, if he didn't keep telling himself that, he'd have no motivation to keep running in the direction Minnowleap had gone. He may as well simply vanish into the stormy night and become lost among the raindrops.


	35. Chapter 35

In the storm it was hard to even move forward. As the fierce wind howled relentlessly in her ears, Watersplash struggled to keep putting one paw in front of the other. Oftentimes she found herself slipping backwards, more so when she made her way closer to the border and the shale beneath her paws changed to grass, slick with rain. She couldn't see three tail-lengths in front of her, the rain washed away any scents, and the wind drowned out every other sound. Watersplash could only fight blindly forward and hope that she wasn't already too late.

Suddenly the ground beneath her gave way to a steep hill and she slipped, skidding and tumbling to the bottom. She let out a terrified screech as she careened down the hill which was cut off when her landing knocked the air out of her. She lay, stunned, at the bottom of the hill for a few moments before shaking her pelt out (useless, of course, since the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, but she did it nonetheless) and carrying on.

It wasn't until lightning flashed in the distance and the empty field with its rolling hills and patches of heather was illuminated around her that Watersplash realized she had no idea where she was going. An instant later she was in the dark again, and she stood still, defeated, as the freezing raindrops beat down on her. A thunderclap echoed in the sky, causing her to shudder involuntarily. Even if it weren't for the storm, Watersplash wouldn't have any idea where to go, because she didn't know where the WindClan camp was. Grasstail had visited her in RiverClan a few times, but she had never returned his visits. Watersplash shivered in the cold as she glanced frantically around, mind racing to pinpoint a direction to travel in.

"Grasstail!" she yowled. "Where are you? Grasstail!"

She doubted any cat could hear her in the storm, but she tilted her head back and screamed for him (or any cat who may have been listening) at the top of her lungs.

"Grasstail, our kits are in danger!" she cried, desperately hoping some cat- any cat- would hear her. "Minnowleap is going to take them! Grasstail, are you there? I need you! Grasstail…!"

No cat responded to Watersplash's yowls, and eventually her throat began to burn and her voice became rough and scratchy. She let out a mournful wail and collapsed, feeling utterly helpless, with her paws over her eyes. Sobbing, she shuddered in the dark beneath an uncaring sky as the wind and rain and cold buffeted her.

It was hopeless. Her mother was going to take her kits away, and then… Oh, StarClan, what if Minnowleap did something to Grasstail?! Watersplash screeched in torment, curling her claws into the rain-drenched earth. She needed to help, but she couldn't! Why was she so useless?!

She didn't know how long she stayed there, bawling like a kit in a stew of anguish and self-pity, but it felt like a long time. Watersplash was sure that nothing could ever get her out of the situation she'd gotten herself into. For the first time in her life, she felt utterly defeated. She was such a fish-brain! How could she have ever thought she'd be capable of this? By know she should have known her own limitations, but she had wanted to think of herself as better than she really was, and because of that everything was ruined. Everything was her fault. She should never have fallen in love with Grasstail. He deserved better than her. She couldn't even defend herself against her own Clanmates.

Grasstail had travelled to the RiverClan border many times, and many of those times his Clanmates had not known about, but never in the middle of a thunderstorm. As a WindClan cat he should have been able to easily catch up with Minnowleap, but the weather made things extremely difficult. At least he had the wind on his side, though. Besides, Minnowleap had the kits weighing her down. However, not knowing which way she had gone prevented him from tracking her down directly.

His best bet was to make it to RiverClan. He would likely be able to find her there, and even if he didn't, Watersplash would be there. She was Minnowleap's daughter, and would likely know how to find the silver warrior better than any cat. Watersplash was the strongest cat Grasstail knew, and he had no doubt that as soon as he found her the situation would drastically improve.

Of course, that was only if he made it to RiverClan at all. It was easy to get lost under an open sky that threw heavy sheets down at him with no letup. It was impossible to see where he was going, and it would be easy enough to stumble into a hole in the ground or become prey for a nocturnal predator. He doubted he could fend off an owl without Watersplash's aid. He loved her so much. If, and only if, he could get to her, everything would be okay…

Gritting his teeth and forging ahead, Grasstail thought of his recurring nightmares. Was the precipice that sometimes appeared in those dreams just symbolic, or was it a real location? If so, perhaps that was where Minnowleap was taking Sprucekit and Ripplekit.

As terrifying as the nightmare becoming a reality was, Grasstail could at least take some marginal comfort in knowing the reason Featherkit never appeared in his dreams. He was safe at home, with Barkstripe watching over him. Soon enough his littermates would be back at his side- Grasstail was determined to make it so. As for Appleshine, he could only hope her injury wasn't serious. There was nothing he could do for her, though; as much as his heart ached when he thought of her lying unconscious in the nursery, his sister's recovery was Podtail's responsibility. Grasstail's duty was to rescue his kits, and he had to concentrate on that and that alone. His kits needed him.

Suddenly a flash of lightning lit up Grasstail's surroundings. He gasped upon seeing a hunched-over, trembling shape at the base of a hill a few fox-lengths away. "Hello?!" he called, raising his voice against the screaming winds. "Are you okay?!"

The sounds of the storm drowned out any reply the figure may have given. Doubt flickered in the back of Grasstail's mind- what if this was Minnowleap playing a trick on him? And besides, his kits needed him. As sorry as he felt for not being able to help this cat, whoever they were, his kits were his first priority. In fact, he couldn't be sure it even was a cat. The flash of lightning hadn't lasted long enough for him to be sure. Perhaps his eyes had simply been playing tricks on him.

Even so, avoiding them would slow Grasstail down, so he closed the distance between them. As he got closer, it became clear that it really was a cat. Not only that; it was a cat Grasstail knew very well.

"Watersplash?!" he cried as soon as he recognized her. He rushed to her side and crouched next to her. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

Slowly, Watersplash raised her head. Her eyes were wide and vacant, but the faintest glimmer of light returned to them when she saw Grasstail. "You're here," she whispered. Her voice was thin and scratchy, as though she had just been yelling a lot.

Grasstail's heart broke at the sight of his love looking so disheveled and upset. He pressed his muzzle to her cheek and laid his paw on top of hers in an attempt to comfort her. "Of course I'm here," he murmured. "I love you."

"I love you too," she sniffled. Then she gulped and blinked forlornly at him. "Our kits-"

"Minnowleap took them," Grasstail meowed solemnly. He hung his head as Watersplash bit back a cry of despair. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was too late to stop her."

Watersplash took a few shaky breaths before whispering, "I know what she's going to do to them."

Grasstail had hoped that she would. He knew that Watersplash had the same nightmares he did. If the rock formation from his dreams was real, she probably knew where it was. It was only a matter of getting there in time to stop Minnowleap.

"She's going to expose our secret," Watersplash continued, her voice gradually rising into a wail. "She wants me to be special, so she wants me to be the one raising our half-Clan kits… but she also wants to punish me for having them! She's going to let every cat know that I mated with you!"

As much as the distress in Watersplash's voice pained Grasstail to hear, her words also brought him a mixture of confusion and relief. Was that really what Minnowleap intended to do with the kits? It would still be horrible, of course- Grasstail shuddered just thinking about what the consequences would be. And yet… if she wasn't going to kill them, as up until that moment Grasstail had been positive she meant to, then what were all his nightmares about?

 _I don't have time to think about that_ , he told himself sternly. Even if their kits weren't in mortal danger, Minnowleap was still a dangerous cat who needed to be stopped.

"Come on," he told Watersplash, helping her up. "We have to go save our kits. Can you take me to where you think your mother is going?"

She nodded. Together they made their way up the hill and toward the RiverClan border. Watersplash moved slower than Grasstail would have liked, but the storm was slowing them both down anyway, so in the end it barely made any difference. All that mattered was their destination.

Together, they would save their kits.

Although she was half-blind in the storm, having Grasstail next to her made it easier for Watersplash to make it back to RiverClan. She didn't even bat an eye as they crossed the border. Territories were irrelevant to them. The only thing in her mind at that moment was Shale Hill.

For all the times Grasstail had snuck into her den in the dead of the night, she'd have thought he'd have noticed Shale Hill, but apparently not. She wouldn't hold that against him, though. She wasn't in a position to after collapsing into a sobbing heap in the middle of WindClan territory. Such a pathetic display… she absolutely hated herself for breaking down like that, and she was sure Grasstail's perception of her had been altered by it. He probably didn't think so highly of her anymore, and Watersplash didn't blame him. She didn't think nearly as highly of herself as she'd used to, either.

Watersplash pushed her negative thoughts to the back of her mind as she led Grasstail through her territory, trying to stay in spots where the water didn't reach too high. In places, it went up at least as deep as the stream. It was certainly deep enough to drown a four-moon old kit in, if that was what Minnowleap was planning. However, Watersplash was certain that wasn't the case. It just didn't add up with Minnowleap's motivation. Hadn't she wanted Watersplash to have half-Clan kits because it made her special? Killing them wouldn't make any sense!

"Are we nearly there?" Grasstail asked her as they neared the camp. He was shivering, and though he was probably doing his best to hide it, Watersplash could tell he was terrified.

"Shale Hill is located within the camp," she told him. "We've only got a short while left to go."

Grasstail let out a sigh of relief. Watersplash noticed that although she had struggled to keep up with him at first, now he was starting to fall behind her. She gave him a gentle nudge of encouragement, which he responded to with a lick on the ear. Warmth spread through Watersplash, but it was only momentary. No matter how much they loved each other, the freezing weather overpowered it in terms of physical effects on their bodies. That was why they had to stay close to each other.

Soon enough they arrived at the overflowing stream. Grasstail took a step back as soon as he saw it, and even Watersplash found it slightly intimidating. The stepping stones she would have otherwise suggested he use to cross it were completely submerged, and none of the chunks of ice floating in the current looked sturdy enough to stand on. Their only option was to wade through it.

Watersplash went first while Grasstail hung back, looking less than willing to cross. She knew he couldn't swim, so he'd have to be even more careful. It was easy enough for Watersplash, although the water went up past her belly and the current tugged at her with what felt like more force than usual. Still, she made her way to the other side with little difficulty, and she shook her pelt out despite the rain making it pointless and waited for Grasstail to follow her across.

With a shudder, Grasstail stepped into the stream. His legs were instantly pulled to the side, and he dug his claws into the algae-coated rock at the bottom to prevent himself from sliding further downstream. Watersplash gave him a nod of encouragement; he grit his teeth and took a step forward.

The current tugged at him once more; Watersplash hovered anxiously on the bank while he crossed, ready to jump in and save him should the necessity arise. Fortunately, he crossed without incident, and joined her on the opposite bank in a matter of seconds.

After that, the camp came into view. However, something was wrong. The flooding was even worse there than it was anywhere else, and a large cluster of cats were stationed up on a hill just outside the camp. As they approached them, Watersplash realized that the camp must have been evacuated. She hesitated, taken aback by the presence of her Clanmates; Grasstail drew in a sharp breath and pressed himself low to the ground as if trying to hide from the RiverClan cats.

"Watersplash, is that you?!" Shellsong cried, running over to her. "Oh, thank StarClan you're okay! We've been looking all over for you!" She drew to a halt when she spotted Grasstail. "…Is that… a WindClan cat?"

"He's my friend," Watersplash meowed defensively. Her mind raced to come up with a believable explanation as to why she had brought an enemy onto their territory. If she claimed that things were worse in WindClan territory, the account wouldn't hold up very well once the leaders communicated in the aftermath of the storm. "He was going for a nighttime walk by the lake with his mate when the storm started getting really bad. I heard him yowling for help and rescued him."

Shellsong didn't seem too convinced, but she dropped the subject and, ignoring Grasstail, led Watersplash over to where the others had gathered. "I found her," she called. "She's okay!"

"Good, good," Miststar muttered. The leader's sopping fur hung into his eyes, and his tail-tip was twitching anxiously as he paced back and forth. "Now we just need to find Minnowleap. Watersplash, have you seen your mother?" Watersplash shook her head. Miststar mumbled something worried-sounding under his breath but tried to sound optimistic as he meowed, "Well, that's okay. We can find her later. I know your mother, Watersplash; she's not going to be done in by a bit of bad weather."

Although she could tell the leader didn't really believe what he was saying, and took some annoyance in his somewhat patronizing reassurance, Watersplash was sure Miststar was right. She, too, had fears concerning Minnowleap, but they couldn't have been more different from his.

"We've searched the camp high and low," Graysmoke reported. "Every cat we could find, we've gathered. With all due respect, we can't waste any more time here. We have to move out."

Regret clouded Miststar's face as he addressed the huddled cats. "We're leaving now," he told them. "We'll head up toward ShadowClan; it's sheltered there, and it's at a higher elevation. Let's go."

He and the others began to move out, but Watersplash knew she couldn't follow them. She hung back with Grasstail, who Miststar had somehow not noticed- he must have been extremely overwhelmed by the severity of the storm. She wondered if he'd realize she wasn't following. With any luck, they'd be back before she could cause her Clanmates too much worry.

Side by side, Watersplash and Grasstail headed down the slope into the flooded camp. Lightning flashed, illuminating the outline of Shale Hill. Watersplash readied herself for a confrontation; Grasstail twined his tail around hers in a show of support. She gave him a grateful nuzzle and then stepped apart from him.

"I'll confront Minnowleap head on," she meowed. "You can sneak around to the opposite side of Shale Hill and climb up it while she's busy with me- I'll stay on the ground."

Grasstail didn't seem thrilled with the plan- "I want to be with you," he meowed- but he agreed to go along with it as long as Watersplash promised not to put herself at risk. Considering what they were about to do, that would be a hard promise to keep, but Watersplash didn't want her love to worry about her. If anything, she was the one who should be worried about him. She was quite literally at home in this environment; Grasstail could barely wade through a stream. That was why she wanted him to be the one who'd sneak up on Minnowleap from behind- it would require less time in the water.

Watersplash gave Grasstail a lick on the ear. "Don't worry; I'll be fine," she meowed, doing her best to sound cheerful. "Count on it."

"Well, just remember, if you need me…" said Grasstail, "I'll always have your back."

"We're meant to succeed; I'm sure of it," Watersplash purred. "It is our destiny."

Grasstail purred affectionately. Then, growing more serious, he meowed, "I love you."

"I love you too," Watersplash replied. Then, with a flick of her tail, she plunged herself into the belly-high water and swam out toward Shale Hill.


	36. Chapter 36

The RiverClan camp was entirely submerged in freezing water dotted with floating chunks of half-melted ice providing the occasional flash of yellowish-white amidst the choppy black waves. Grasstail felt like a tiny thorn was digging into his heart as he watched Watersplash bravely lower herself into the flooded camp, where the water reached all the way up her legs, and begin to paddle toward the tall crag of rock at the centre of the camp- Shale Hill, as she'd called it. He had to watch her for a few moments to make sure she was okay, despite his common sense telling him that he had nothing to worry about. Watersplash was a RiverClan cat; swimming was second nature to her. Still, he loved her, and he couldn't help but worry about the cats he loved…

Dropping low to the ground, Grasstail began to creep around the perimeter of the camp until he was on the other side. He winced at the cold water lapping at his belly when he crouched; his paws, which had been underwater more or less the whole time, had gone almost completely numb.

In the murky darkness of the storm, he could barely make out a figure up ahead that the rain parted around. They moved with agility through the flood, although something was clearly hindering them. As he cautiously approached, Grasstail could distinguish two more shapes beside the first cat- his kits! His heart seemed to stop for a moment, and his breath caught in his throat as he crouched at the edge of the flooded camp and watched Minnowleap swim toward Shale Hill. It wasn't until she reached the formation and began to scramble up that Grasstail reminded himself that it was his job to stop her. With renewed determination he slunk down the slope into the camp, flinching as the water rose around his body and pushed him up to the top.

Not wanting to bob about helplessly, Grasstail felt around for the bottom with his paws. The tip of one of his claws scraped over something, and he swung his hind leg downwards while craning his neck upwards to keep his muzzle above water. He let out a grunt of satisfaction when he felt the bottom of his paw touch down on rock. Grasstail soon found his footing with his other paws as well, and he took a few heavy steps forward with his neck still craned upward, at an even more extreme angle now. When he moved, the water in front of him sloshed upward and into his nose and he jerked back in surprise, snorting and coughing in an attempt to get the water out of his airway. Paws flailing, he tilted his head forward and let the water dribble out of his mouth. It occurred to Grasstail then that perhaps wading through belly-deep water wasn't going to work. He'd have to try swimming.

After a few deep breaths, Grasstail took his paws off the bottom, pushing off with his hind legs. Then he extended his front legs and swiped them through the water in front of him in an effort to mimic the way Watersplash did it. It didn't get him very far forward, but it moved him along a bit, and it would be easier than wading.

Grasstail sucked in a deep breath and plunged his head underwater before propelling himself forward once more. He held his back legs out behind him as straight as possible to make himself more aerodynamic, and soon enough, he was moving ahead by about a tail-length with each stroke. It was an extremely clumsy and rather painful method of swimming, and he accidentally whacked himself with his legs a couple times, but it worked well enough for a WindClan cat who never intended to go swimming again once this was over.

Before long he was at the rock formation known as Shale Hill. He'd have to crane his neck to see Minnowleap at the top, and his neck already hurt too much for him to do so, but he could hear her talking to Watersplash, who he saw standing on the other side of Shale Hill. As soon as he caught a glimpse of her, belly-deep in the flood, his heart skipped a beat. He loved Watersplash so much, and each time he saw her he became more determined to save their kits.

However, he was slightly daunted by his task. Grasstail had no idea how he was supposed to climb this structure, and he hadn't been able to get a good enough look at Minnowleap earlier to see how she'd managed it. Still, he supposed it couldn't have been too hard if a middle-aged cat had been able to haul two four-moon-old kits up it in such a short time. He tentatively placed each of his front paws on the rough, chipped shale and hoisted himself up. His claws hooked onto a tiny ledge; encouraged, he pushed himself further up using his back legs for support. Grasstail continued on like this for some time; he wondered if this was how it felt for ThunderClan cats to climb trees. If so, he had no idea why they found it so fun. It was a truly grueling exercise, and he couldn't have been more relieved when his paws finally landed on a flat surface. He lifted himself up onto the top of the formation and prepared to strike Minnowleap from behind.

—

Part of Watersplash's mind was still reeling over how her own mother could be so despicable. The reasonable part of her knew that she should have known Minnowleap was a bad cat right from the start, but how could she have? Minnowleap loved her, and had praised her at every turn when she'd been young. She'd been showered with so much love as a kit that Watersplash had gone into apprenticeship thinking that she was the best cat in the world, with the best life possible. Thinking back on the mindset she once held, Watersplash wanted to gag. Her life was a mess, and half her Clanmates didn't care about her at all. She valued the ones who did all the more highly because of it- not to mention Grasstail- but still…

Now, as she swam toward Shale Hill just as Minnowleap clambered to the top of it with Sprucekit and Ripplekit dangling by their scruffs from her muzzle, Watersplash took all the negative feelings that had been thrust upon her over the course of her life and channeled them into rage toward Minnowleap. This was a cat who should not be thought of as kin, or even thought of as a cat at all. It was an obstacle that needed to be overcome in order for Watersplash to save her and Grasstail's kits.

"Minnowleap!" she cried, raising her voice to be heard loud and clear by her mother. "Stop what you're doing!"

Up on the precipice, Minnowleap froze. She set Ripplekit down next to her and the back she-kit immediately tried to scramble away, but then she came to the edge and backed up with a terrified squeak. Sprucekit squirmed free from Minnowleap's grip, which Watersplash suspected she had loosened- she had no reason to keep a hold on the kits anymore; the daunting height Minnowleap had put them at prevented them from having an escape route. The two kits huddled together as Minnowleap blinked innocently down at Watersplash.

"My dear daughter, whatever is troubling you?' she trilled, her voice echoing in the thunderous storm.

Watersplash dug her claws into the rock at the bottom of the flooded camp and glared up at her mother. "You know exactly what's _troubling me_ ," she hissed. "You kidnapped my kits!"

"Oh, so these are _your_ kits?" Minnowleap said with faux surprise. She drew her tail under Sprucekit's chin and chuckled quietly to herself. "That's funny, my little water droplet! If these are your kits, how did I manage to find them in the WindClan nursery?"

"Stop playing dumb," Watersplash snapped. She had no time for her mother's little games. "You already know everything about me and Grasstail. Just tell me-" she paused, biting back the bitterness in her mew. "Just tell me why you're doing this! I thought you said you were glad I had half-Clan kits, because that made me special, just like you wanted, remember?!"

Minnowleap shook her head and made a tut-tut sound. "It's true, dearest; being the mother of half-Clan kits is a very special thing indeed." She gazed fondly at Sprucekit and Ripplekit, who flinched when her gaze fell on them. Watersplash's hackles rose and she bit back a snarl as her mother continued, "But I think we're forgetting about something even more special than that: the prophecy! Surely it would be even _more_ special if you and your lovely little half-Clan kits ended up fulfilling Podtail's silly old prophecy together, wouldn't it?"

 _So that's what she's trying to do!_ A hiss escaped from Watersplash's clenched teeth and she raked her claws across the submerged rock floor of the camp. Minnowleap curled her tail around her paws and puffed her chest out, purring in amusement as Watersplash struggled to stop herself from climbing right up onto Shale Hill and pushing Minnowleap off herself. She had to remind herself that it was her job to keep her mother preoccupied so that Grasstail could sneak up from the other side and rescue the kits.

"I won't let you do this, mother," Watersplash said. The last word tasted sour on her tongue, but she used it nonetheless. She didn't know why- perhaps in hopes of appealing to Minnowleap's good side, if she even had one. "These are my kits, and you're not going to hurt them!"

"Oh, you're right about that, my little water droplet," Minnowleap meowed. She stood up, windswept pelt bristling, and leaned over the edge as if to taunt Watersplash to come and get her. "That's the whole point, dear: you have to fulfill the prophecy! You'll be the saviour, rising from the rain to save your poor little kit…" She chuckled, hooking her claws into Ripplekit's scruff and pulling her over to her. "As for the voice in the wind, well, I'm sure we can work something out."

Watersplash's mind raced as Minnowleap drew her tongue across Ripplekit's shiny black pelt. As she did so, the kit flinched and let out a squeal of terror while her brother hung back, trembling. Watersplash didn't want to believe it, but she had a sinking feeling that she already knew what role Minnowleap meant for Sprucekit to play in the prophecy…

Even so, she asked just in case she was mistaken. Surely, as a mother herself, Minnowleap couldn't really be so cruel?

"Wh-what about Sprucekit?" Watersplash meowed with a gulp. "What role is he going to play?"

She prayed to StarClan that Minnowleap wouldn't give the answer she thought she would. However, her prayers went unanswered and her mother purred, "Why, that's very simple, dearest."

She stalked over to Sprucekit and dug her teeth into the tabby kit's scruff, lifting him off the ground and ignoring his flailing paws and mewls of protest. Ripplekit lunged forward, biting down on Minnowleap's heel only to be kicked backward. With a nefarious gleam in her eye, Minnowleap dangled Sprucekit over the edge.

"You see," she said, "little Sprucekit here is going to be the one who falls into the waves."

—

Grasstail scrambled up over the edge and onto the top of Shale Hill. Minnowleap's back was to him, and she clearly didn't notice him. Nor, from the looks of it, did Ripplekit, who was gazing with rapt attention at the events playing out before her. It took Grasstail a moment to realize where Sprucekit was, as he hadn't heard anything that Minnowleap and Watersplash had been saying and was completely lost for context. However, when he heard Minnowleap say, "…going to be the one who falls into the waves" and realized that she was dangling Sprucekit over the edge, it didn't take him long to put the pieces together.

He had almost been convinced he'd been wrong before. Watersplash had said her mother wouldn't try to harm their kits. But it looked like Grasstail's earlier assumption had been correct: Minnowleap really did plan to drown their kits- or at least one of them.

The drop from Shale Hill to the flooded camp below must have been at least ten, possibly fifteen fox-lengths; far enough to be potentially fatal on its own even if it weren't for the freezing cold water that went up to the chest of an adult cat. A cat Sprucekit's size would most likely be in over his head- and that's if the shock from the fall didn't kill him.

On top of that, the temperature was dangerously low; Grasstail could hardly feel his paws after spending just a few minutes wading around in it. Watersplash was too far away from Sprucekit to catch him if he fell. With all of these factors combined, letting Minnowleap drop him was not even remotely an option. Grasstail had to stop her through any means necessary.

All of these thoughts ran through Grasstail's head in the time it took for Watersplash to let out an enraged screech and splash toward the bottom of Shale Hill. Minnowleap scoffed and parted her jaws slightly, so that Sprucekit slipped partially out of her grip. Squealing in terror, the kit clung onto Minnowleap, but his grip on her wouldn't last if she decided to stop playing around and drop him. Grasstail had to act _now_!

"Minnowleap, you snake-heart!" Grasstail yowled as loudly as he could to get her attention. She whirled around, tightening her grip on Sprucekit's scruff, just as he pushed himself off the ground and pounced on her. Minnowleap skidded back toward the edge; encouraged, Grasstail prepared to strike her again and send her tumbling to her doom when he realized Sprucekit was still in her grasp.

He silently berated himself for being such a reckless mouse-brain. He wasn't supposed to get Minnowleap's attention- that was Watersplash's job! He was supposed to sneak up behind her- which he had- and grab the kits before Minnowleap had the chance to react! The only thing he hadn't counted on was there being such imminent danger for one of his kits. Now what was he supposed to do?!

Before he could think of a new plan, however, Minnowleap struck. She dropped Sprucekit down safely next to his littermate (which was surprising considering what she planned to do, but perhaps she wasn't thinking clearly just as he hadn't been when he attacked her) and then lunged, snarling, at Grasstail. She knocked him back, hissing and scrabbling at his throat; Grasstail tucked his chin into his chest so his neck wasn't exposed to her blows. They tumbled around on top of Shale Hill, a blur of fur and teeth and claws, in a desperate struggle with the life of one of Grasstail's kits on the line- and possibly the other, depending on just how far Minnowleap was willing to go for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

Over the rain and wind and occasional thunderclap to punctuate their fight, Grasstail didn't hear anything except the blood roaring in his ears. Therefore, he wasn't at all expecting to see a blue-gray blur in the corner of his vision. A moment later, Minnowleap was thrown off of Grasstail and pinned down by Watersplash.

"Grab the kits and get away," Watersplash shouted to Grasstail over the raging storm. "I'll be fine; don't worry about me!"

Grasstail had no doubt that she would be- this was Watersplash, after all. Still, he was none too eager to leave his beloved alone with her mother. There was no telling what Minnowleap would be willing to do to her, and even if she didn't succeed, Grasstail knew that Watersplash had already been through a lot of painful experiences. He wanted to keep her as safe as possible from here on out, and running away wasn't going to accomplish that.

Watersplash hissed when Grasstail hesitated. "Didn't you hear me, fish-brain?" she muttered, digging her claws into Minnowleap's shoulders as her mother struggled beneath her. "I said _go_!"

"O-okay," Grasstail meowed.

He sunk his teeth into Sprucekit's scruff and gently lifted him up. The kits were too big to carry both of them at once, but he stooped down and let Ripplekit climb onto his back, which she did with extreme urgency. She was fairly heavy, and the combined weight of the kits made it difficult for him to move, but he did so anyway for lack of another choice. He supposed this was the downside of being a WindClan cat; his scrawny frame meant that carrying two four-moon-old kits slowed him down much more than it must have slowed Minnowleap, who, though older, was far from old, and whose plump RiverClan physique made her far more well-equipped for carrying kits for a long distance.

Grasstail staggered over to the edge and then ever-so-carefully turned around and, keeping his front claws firmly planted in a tiny crack in the rock, dropped his hind legs over the edge and felt around for a tiny shelf in the rock. Climbing down was always a lot harder than climbing up, and climbing up had been challenging enough on its own. Ripplekit whimpered, clinging tighter to his back.

Meanwhile, Minnowleap swiped at Watersplash's cheek. Watersplash scurried back, pelt bristling, and Grasstail was reminded once again of her unexplained scratches. Hissing in satisfaction, Minnowleap lunged forward, brushing past Watersplash and heading right toward Grasstail, who had yet to lower himself fully over the edge.

With a renewed sense of desperation, Grasstail unhooked his claws from the crack and let himself drop backward, making sure to keep his hind legs firmly placed against the rock formation. Just before he fell backward out of Minnowleap's range, her attack was cut off by Watersplash stomping down firmly on her tail. Shrieking in pain and outrage, Minnowleap whirled around and took a swipe at Watersplash, who ducked, hissing.

Grasstail felt that he was nearly home free. He dug the claws of one of his front paws into a tiny rock shelf and moved his other paw to a lower ledge. Tiny chips of the shale beneath his hind paws crumbled away, sending a shower of dust below.

Just then, lightning lit up the sky- but this time, it wasn't just off in the distance somewhere.

The world in front of Grasstail was filled with bright light and white-hot heat for a split second, and he heard a tremendous _crack_ followed a moment later by Watersplash screeching his name. Grasstail didn't understand why at first- it took him a second to process what had just happened, and a second was too late to stop anything. He knew he hadn't been struck by the lightning; his pelt was singed, but he would have felt it if the lightning had hit him. Then what…?

The weight on his back disappeared and he heard Ripplekit squeal in terror. Sprucekit wailed, scrabbling at the blackened, shattered rock in front of him as they fell away from it-

Shattered rock?

Falling?

Oh… Oh, StarClan, no…

The lightning strike had split Shale Hill right down the middle, and the half Grasstail happened to be climbing down was now crumbling apart, sending him and his kits plummeting toward the freezing waters below.


	37. Chapter 37

Watersplash had been afraid at first, but then her adrenaline started pumping and she stopped seeing the cat in front of her as her mother and started seeing her as simply an enemy that needed to be taken down. After that, fighting Minnowleap was almost kind of fun in a way. However, when her gaze involuntarily flickered over to Grasstail slowly lowing himself down Shale Hill, the lives of Sprucekit and Ripplekit on the line along with his, Watersplash was reminded of the urgency of the situation. She needed to keep Minnowleap away from-

Suddenly there was a crack and a blinding burst of light that it took Watersplash a moment to recognize as lighting. She stumbled back, having momentarily lost her vision; her heart skipped a beat as chips of shale pelted her face and she realized that the rock her front paws was resting on was beginning to slide away. Watersplash scrambled back in a hurry, realizing with a jolt that the part of Shale Hill that was now collapsing was the part Grasstail was climbing down.

"Grasstail!" she shrieked as though to warn him, although part of her knew by the time she said it that it was already too late. "Grasstail, no!"

The second half of her cry was drowned out by a deafening clap of thunder. Watersplash flinched, flattening her ears against her head. Then she crouched, breathing hard and fast, blinking her eyes open and shut as her vision slowly returned.

The acrid smell of smoke hung in the air, and when Watersplash looked down at her paws she saw that they were covered in soot. Lightning had split Shale Hill clean in two, nearly right down the middle. The half she and Minnowleap, who was now standing still with eyes open wide, apparently too shocked to react, stood on remained intact aside from the shale being blackened where the lightning had struck it. However, the other half- the half that Grasstail and the kits had been on- was gone.

"Grasstail!" Watersplash shrieked again, scrambling to peer over the crumbling edge. Sooty shards of shale rained down around the larger chunk of Shale Hill, all plummeting toward the flooded camp. She couldn't make out Grasstail among the falling rocks, but she knew he was there- and the kits, too.

It was too dark and stormy to see properly, or hear a splash as they landed in the water. Watersplash's mind whirled; part of her screamed to jump after them and pull them to safety, but her chances of surviving such a leap would be no better than theirs. Besides, Grasstail had been right beneath the falling rock… he'd have been crushed by it.

"N-no!" she said aloud, appalled by her own horrific thoughts. _They must have survived somehow; they must!_ Glancing desperately around at the barely visible waves below, she struggled to make out where the fractured rock formation had landed. "Grasstail, where are you?!"

While she frantically scanned the flood for any sign of Grasstail or their kits, Watersplash saw Minnowleap preparing to lunge at her out of the corner of her eye. She spun around, pelt bristling, and sent her mother staggering backwards with a swipe across the muzzle. Watersplash got a thrill of satisfaction at the red lines that appeared on Minnowleap's muzzle. Maybe it was bad of her, but she felt like some part of her had always secretly wanted to do this.

However, Minnowleap did not retaliate. She didn't even snarl or hiss at Watersplash. Instead, she bowed her head respectfully and retracted her claws. Confused, Watersplash moved to attack her again, but Minnowleap simply raised her head enough so that her downcast gaze landed on Watersplash's soot-coated paws.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Minnowleap murmured. Her tail was curled neatly around her paws and she was as poised as ever, but when Watersplash took a moment to actually look at her she realized that her mother's silver pelt was singed from the lightning just as Watersplash's was.

Watersplash clenched her fangs together and raked her claws over the charred surface of Shale Hill, wishing she was tearing them through Minnowleap's pelt instead- and yet something was preventing her from doing so. She felt like she had no choice but to at least hear her mother out, even if what she was saying was hard to believe.

"Surely if you didn't hate me before, you hate me now," Minnowleap meowed remorsefully- or maybe it was more reproachfully. She could be hard to read at times. "All I was trying to do was be a good mother! I wanted you to be special, and I tried to help you by setting up a perfect scenario for you to be a hero. But I let you down… and now you've lost everything."

"I haven't lost anything," Watersplash objected, taking a step back. Her gaze flickered briefly back to the jagged edge that had once merely been a crack in the rock between there and the other half of Shale Hill. "They're still alive; I have to believe that!"

"Is that so, dear?" Minnowleap murmured, raising her head and blinking sympathetically at Watersplash. She followed Watersplash's gaze and added, in a completely emotionless tone, "In that case, why don't you just go down and check?"

Watersplash gulped as she gazed down at the swirling waters. Could Grasstail really have survived that fall? And even if he had, what about the kits? The longer she stared down over the edge, Watersplash became more convinced that she didn't want to know the answer.

She tore her gaze away from the flooded camp; there were no answers to be found there, at least not ones she wanted. "I…" she began, suddenly feeling like a fish-brain as Minnowleap sat calmly across from her, looking on with a sort of sympathetic coldness. Who did Watersplash think she was fooling? Certainly not herself. She was wise enough to know that looking for Grasstail was pointless.

Watersplash tried to take a step toward Minnowleap, but her legs gave out from sheer stress and heartbreak and she collapsed onto the rain-slicked, blackened rock. Minnowleap padded over to her and gave her a comforting lick on the head but then stepped away again and sat complacently with her tail curled neatly over her paws. She was completely unaffected by all of this, which somehow made the whole ordeal even more devastating.

As Watersplash lay there, shuddering, the rain washed away the soot that caked the remaining part of Shale Hill, as well as her and Minnowleap's fur. It was as if StarClan already wanted her to forget the cats she'd just lost. No! She couldn't give up on them that fast… but she already had, hadn't she?

She had to give up on them! There was no other choice! Watersplash had gone through the first half of her life clinging to the hope that she was special, and as she'd gradually realized she was just an ordinary cat, it had felt worse and worse with each passing day. Holding onto false hope wasn't something she wanted to go through again. It would be easier to just give up and write Grasstail and the kits off as dead.

But… she couldn't. They were too important to her, and Grasstail had been a part of Watersplash's life for too long, for them to be taken away in the span of an instant. Even many times before, when Watersplash had been certain she'd seen the last of that greenish-gray enigma of a cat, he'd popped back into her life once more. Was believing he'd do so again really that much of a stretch?

—

 _The emptiness below was the only thing there was. The sky above Grasstail grew ever farther away, disappearing into nothingness as he fell. Above him was the cat he loved. If he could only reach her, she'd save him. But she was too far away. There was nothing he could do, nothing to be done but fall into the void…_

Grasstail didn't really feel himself land so much as the dream and reality that blurred together as he fell sharpened back into only reality. The nightmare was absorbed by the shock of the cold, although he didn't really feel the cold after how cold the night had already made him. All that his reality consisted of in that moment was himself and Sprucekit, who he clutched to his chest while praying as hard as he could that Ripplekit was safe.

For a moment his head was submerged and his eyes were closed, and he existed in a state of pure blankness, completely separate from the storm raging outside. Then he felt Sprucekit scrabbling desperately at his neck, followed by the kit squirming out of Grasstail's grip and thrusting hid head above water, sucking in a gulp of air. Suddenly realizing that his lungs were burning for air, Grasstail flailed around until his head broke the surface and managed to get his footing on the ground.

This all transpired in the span of a few seconds, just before the huge spire of rock that was the broken-off part of Shale Hill came crashing down on him. Grabbing Sprucekit and scrambling away, Grasstail half-ran, half-swam in a desperate frenzy to outpace the descending mass of shale. A stray sheet of rock struck him between the ears and he came to a halt, stunned. Then his head was pushed back underwater as a tremendous weight landed on his back and he was knocked out.

The next thing he knew, Grasstail was being nudged urgently awake by Sprucekit, who had a thin trickle of blood running down his jaw. As soon as Grasstail opened his eyes, Sprucekit's gaze clouded with relief and he scampered away. Grasstail's ears were ringing and his whole body ached, but the lower half in particular was home to a particularly excruciating pain. He couldn't process what was happening, but one thing was clear: he could breathe, so his head wasn't underwater.

As the rain that still beat down on him alerted him to his surroundings, he realized that he was on top of the fallen part of Shale Hill, lying on his side in a pile of his own blood. Grimacing, he tried to roll over and instantly had to bite down on his tongue to prevent himself from wailing in agony. It felt like there were shards of rock digging into his lower back- and maybe there were, considering all the chips of shale that had been raining down on them a moment ago. He cringed when he looked at his hind legs. They were both bent at awkward angles; the right one in particular looked bad, as his paw was facing in the wrong direction.

Nearby, he heard Sprucekit wail. The tabby kit rushed back over to Grasstail; Grasstail noticed that Sprucekit's paws were stained with blood.

"Ripplekit is hurt real bad," he whimpered. "We need to stop her bleeding really soon, or else she's gonna die!"

"Ripplekit is alive?" Grasstail meowed.

Sprucekit nodded urgently. "She is for now," he mewed. "…But we've gotta help her, or else-"

"I heard," Grasstail muttered. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth as another wave of pain washed over him. There was no way he could move at all right now, let alone walk. "Can you climb back up to the top of Shale Hill and ask your mother to help us?" he asked after a moment.

"I-I think so," Sprucekit mumbled. He shrunk back, flattening his ears against his head. "But that mean silver cat is up there! What if she tries to hurt me again?"

That certainly was something to be concerned about. However, there was no other choice, which Grasstail explained, although it didn't seem to diminish Sprucekit's anxiety too much. However, the kit complied nonetheless, and he ran off toward what remained of Shale Hill.

Grasstail stared after him until the kit was too far away for him to see in the stormy darkness. Then, groaning, Grasstail closed his eyes and lapsed back into unconsciousness.

—

"You poor thing," Minnowleap sighed as Watersplash lay shuddering atop Shale Hill. The harsh winds that died down and picked up again on a regular basis carried her words into Watersplash's ears, ruffling her fur with their harshness. "You're all alone now, aren't you? At least, that's what you think, but remember, dearest: I'm still here, and I'm ready to help you through this in any way I can."

Unable to put the pain she was feeling into words, Watersplash whimpered. She felt like a pathetic little kit- so maybe she really could use Minnowleap's help. After all, the only thing that could help a kit was its loving mother.

"I'm the one who's been trying to help you this whole time, you know," Minnowleap went on; Watersplash was too overwhelmed by her unbearable emotions that she couldn't remember whether or not that was really true. "All I ever wanted was for my little water droplet to be special. And you still can be, dear- as long as you promise to be a good and loving daughter from now on."

Watersplash couldn't think of anything intelligible to say, but she felt that she owed Minnowleap some sort of response. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry for everything. It's my fault they fell."

"It is, isn't it? See; now you're starting to think sensibly!" Minnowleap said. She flicked her tail under Watersplash's chin with a purr of approval. "If you hadn't been fighting me- you own mother, for StarClan's sake- that silly WindClan tom you love so much wouldn't have had to die."

Flinching at the final word of her mother's sentence, Watersplash drew back, hackles raised. Then the rain beat her fur down flat again and she blinked wordlessly up at Minnowleap, feeling lost and utterly hopeless. She needed Grasstail now more than ever, and he wasn't here- and the fact that he wasn't here was the whole reason she was so lost and hopeless! A new wave of sadness washed over her, and Watersplash began to droop toward the ground again, but Minnowleap stuck out her front paw and tilted Watersplash's chin back up so that they were at eye level with each other.

"There's no use denying it, darling," she trilled. "Just think of it as a blessing in disguise; now that he and those half-Clan kits of yours are gone, you can finally be loyal to your own Clan! Isn't that lovely?"

"No…" Watersplash began. Inside her mind, the wheels were turning. _Listen not to the voice in the wind, for it speaks not the truth you speak…_ The voice in the wind was Minnowleap's voice! She wasn't speaking the truth, and Watersplash had to sotp listening to her!

"Oh, but they are gone, dear!" Minnowleap said in what sounded like halfway between a purr and a hiss. She opened her muzzle to say more, but Watersplash cut her off.

"You didn't take all our kits, mother," she snapped, standing up and staring Minnowleap down. She'd been so disoriented by what had happened that she'd completely forgotten about one thing- something very, very important. "Featherkit is still safe in the WindClan nursery right now!"

The loss of Grasstail and their other two kits- if they even were really dead- was still the most dreadful thing that ever could have happened, and Watersplash was sure she'd never be the same again, but they weren't everything. Upon seeing Minnowleap's reaction, which seemed almost angry at her for having mentioned Featherkit, Watersplash took a deep breath and, pelt bristling, spoke her mind.

"Even if Grasstail and Sprucekit and Ripplekit really are gone- which I don't believe for a second that they are- I've still got a perfectly healthy, beautiful kit who's depending on me," she proclaimed. "And it's not just Featherkit- I've got plenty of Clanmates who love me. Shellsong, Mallowheart, Smokefur, Emberstorm… they all care about me! Not to mention Grasstail's friends in WindClan- Appleshine and Seedpelt and the rest-if it came down to it, I bet they'd be willing to look after me. I haven't lost everything," she concluded, glaring defiantly at Minnowleap. "There are plenty of cats out there who are important to me. And _you_ are not one of them!"

For a moment, Minnowleap appeared to be stunned into silence. Then, tail lashing, she drew her lips back into a snarl.

"It doesn't matter how many cats you think care about you," she said. "And don't even get me started on how many of them really _do_ , because we needn't break your heart any more than it already has been broken." Minnowleap paused, silver-blue eyes flashing, before carrying on in a hiss that gradually rose in a crescendo into a screech. "I am your _mother_ , Watersplash, and you do not get a choice as to whether or not I am part of you life! I am the only cat who loves you, and the sooner you accept that, the better!"

Watersplash flinched, but she didn't for a moment believe what Minnowleap was saying- not this time. She'd been so lost in her misery that she'd allowed her mother to lead her astray, but this had gone on for too long. It was time to let Minnowleap know that Watersplash was done with her, once and for all.

With no more patience to use words on her mother, Watersplash coiled her muscles and leapt, snarling, at Minnowleap. The only way this could be settled now was with claws- the way it was always meant to be.


	38. Chapter 38

Everything hurt. Everything that was going on around Grasstail was muted and blurry and tinted slightly with red. All he could perceive was the screaming pain in the lower half of his body and the water slowly rising around him as the rain continued to beat down.

Only half-conscious, thoughts drifted through his head like snowflakes falling from the sky, only lasting a moment before melting away as soon as they touched the ground. He struggled to hold onto a thought, to keep it in his head so he'd stay awake; each time he drifted briefly into unconsciousness he was terrified he wouldn't wake up. It wasn't even that his injuries were that bad- or at least he hoped they weren't. It was hard to tell, but he was sure Podtail would be able to patch him up once he was back home. He was just… tired. He wanted to sleep, but he couldn't afford to, because the flood was getting higher with every second and before long the water would be up over his muzzle. He couldn't afford to keep dozing off like this.

He wondered how Watersplash was holding out against Minnowleap. Knowing her, she was probably doing fine, but he hoped she'd finish her fight quickly. He had no idea why he'd asked Sprucekit to climb up what remained of Shale Hill. The rock formation was more than challenging enough for even a grown cat like him to climb; how was a four-moon-old kit expected to make it to the top? Not only that, Minnowleap has already tried to kill the kit once, and Grasstail doubted she'd hesitate to do so again.

However, at this point there was nothing he could do. Moving seemed out of the question. His body ached from just lying there, although the icy water slowly rising around him was beginning to numb the sensation. Blood matted his fur, holding it down in a sticky mess so it couldn't fluff up to protect him from the cold- not that it would have done much good anyway, since his fur was pretty short, but it might have made some difference, and any difference would have been good enough. Besides, it was so late… Grasstail should have been asleep by now. He should've been in his nest hours ago. Of course, there was the storm, so his Clanmates probably weren't exactly sleeping soundly in their nests either right now, but still… he just wanted to sleep.

 _No!_ he told himself forcefully. _I can't afford to pass out again! If the water level keeps rising like this, I could drown in my sleep._

But as much as Grasstail tried to hold on to consciousness, he could already feel it slipping away. A wave of darkness crept up on him, washing over his red-tinted vision and filling it with random, nonsensical images of storms and precipices.

—

Screeching like cornered prey, Minnowleap ducked under Watersplash as she leapt at her. Watersplash's gaze followed her mother, and she realized just in time that Minnowleap was moving her paw up to drag her claws over Watersplash's exposed belly. Thinking fast, Watersplash swung her hind leg forward to kick her mother's claws out of the way and stomped down on her silver paw. Minnowleap yowled in outrage and twisted around, snapping at Watersplash's neck.

Watersplash drew back just as her mother thrust forward and let her mother fall forward, her jaw connecting with the rock. While Minnowleap was momentarily stunned, Watersplash dug her teeth into her mother's scruff and dragged her over to the edge of Shale Hill, where the lightning had caused the rock to split. Although everything was soaking wet from the downpour, she could still feel soot beneath her paws when standing at the jagged, still partially crumbling edge. If she put her paw in the wrong place, the rock would probably give out and crumble away.

Minnowleap was somewhat less heavy than Watersplash had expected, but maybe it was just the adrenalin pumping through her body that allowed her to carry her mother more easily. Trying to block out the voice in the back of her head screaming _stop, what are you doing, this is your mother,_ Watersplash tightened her grip on Minnowleap's scruff and swung her over the edge, letting her dangle in the air over the swirling flood below.

She was fully prepared in that moment to let go and let Minnowleap fall to her death. StarClan knew she deserved it. But just as Watersplash was about to do so, Minnowleap suddenly jerked her head back, startling Watersplash and causing her to release her grip anyway. However, Minnowleap didn't seem to be as concerned with not falling to her death as she was with taking Watersplash with her. She dug her claws into the sides of Watersplash's head; Watersplash opened her muzzle to shriek, but she was abruptly cut off when her muzzle connected with the edge of Shale Hill and she tasted damp soot on her tongue.

Just as she was about to be dragged over the edge by Minnowleap, Watersplash hooked a claw into a tiny chip in the rock. She screeched in agony as the claw tore and Minnowleap's claws scraped down the sides of her face simultaneously, and she slid back a few more mouse-lengths, but a moment later her front paws were still resting on top of Shale Hill, and Minnowleap was gone. And in that moment, though her cheeks felt like they were on fire and her torn claw was throbbing, along with all the other miscellaneous injuries she'd sustained in the fight against her mother, Watersplash knew she had won.

That victorious feeling was short-lived, however, as Watersplash felt something sharp dig into her heel and looked down to see Minnowleap clinging to a ledge with her claws embedded in Watersplash's hind paw.

"You didn't really think you could get out of fulfilling this prophecy that easily, did you, dear?" Minnowleap said, steely eyes flashing in the dark. "You can't fight fate, Watersplash! This is all meant to be happening!"

"You're crazy," Watersplash spat. She jerked her hind leg up, but Minnowleap clung on with both paws. Her weight tugged Watersplash down when she tried to scramble up over the edge, and it left them both precariously close to falling.

Minnowleap's tail lashed as she spoke. "Why do you always have to be so stubborn?" she hissed. "I do my best to be a good mother, and this is how you repay me?! Do you have any idea how much work it is to raise kits? Oh, that right," she added, narrowing her eyes. "You don't have any idea, because you're too afraid to raise your own kits!"

"Go away," said Watersplash, voice trembling. She bit her lip, thinking with shame how pathetic she sounded. How was Minnowleap supposed to take her seriously if this was how she tried to stand up for herself? "Go away," she repeated, more forcefully this time. "I hate you! You're a terrible mother, and I hate you!"

"Oh, is that so?" Minnowleap scoffed. "Well, when it comes to being a bad family member, you aren't really one to talk, are you, dear?"

Too furious with her mother to understand what she was referring to, Watersplash pulled her lips back in a snarl. She swung her hind leg back and then brought it forward again, crashing Minnowleap into the rock. Screeching, Minnowleap loosened her grip; Watersplash jerked her leg away and hauled herself back up over the edge. Minnowleap skidded further down Shale Hill, but she scrabbled back up to the top with a vengeance. Watersplash stomped on her paw as she was about to pull herself up onto the top, but Minnowleap smacked her paw away and hopped over the edge to face her down once more.

"You may not like to hear this, Watersplash, and I hate to say it, but you are a bad cat," Minnowleap went on as though nothing had happened. "You have done nothing but made your poor family suffer. It's your fault your littermates are dead! If you hadn't been such a selfish furball, I would have had other kits to pin my hopes and dreams on! But you killed them, and now _you're_ the only one I've got."

Watersplash bit back a cry of outrage. At this point, she knew arguing would get her nowhere. No matter what Minnowleap accused her of, she knew she shouldn't blame herself for what had happened so long ago. There was no reasoning with Minnowleap. She was too far gone to ever be redeemed. She had to be stopped, and Watersplash was the only cat who could stop her.

Taking a step forward, Watersplash hissed, "I may not look it to you, but I'm more loyal to my Clanmates than most of them deserve. And I've tried to be that way with you, too, but now I see that keeping up like that would just kill me eventually. _You'd_ just kill me," she added, pelt bristling. "How many more scratches do you think I could have stood from you? How many more could you have stood to give?"

"Watersplash, you are changing the subject!" Minnowleap snapped, hackles raised. Then, regaining her calm composure, she meowed, "I know it's difficult to accept, but for this prophecy to be fulfilled- for you to be as special as we both know you're meant to be- somebody had to die! And if you're right, and your little family is still alive somehow, then somebody still has to die tonight!"

Stepping forward so her and Minnowleap were barely a whisker-length apart, Watersplash bared her fangs. "In that case, why can't it be you?"

To her surprise, Minnowleap's face brightened just before Watersplash stood up on her hind legs and thrust her front legs forward. "Why, that's a great idea!" she purred just before Watersplash's paws connected with her chest, sending her toppling back over the edge. "Why didn't I think of that?"

By then, it was too late to stop Minnowleap from falling even if Watersplash had wanted to- which she most certainly didn't. The propulsion from Watersplash's shove threw Minnowleap into the air, too far away to grab onto a ledge like she had before. However, although it was too dark to really tell, Watersplash thought as she watched with satisfaction as her mother fell toward the flooded camp, Minnowleap didn't look scared of dying, or even angry at Watersplash. Instead, she seemed almost excited- proud, even.

However, peering over the edge once more, it wasn't her mother that really caught Watersplash's attention. It was the small, dark shape slowly making its way up the structure.

Cautiously, Watersplash placed a front paw on the ledge Minnowleap had been clinging to and, keeping her hind legs stable on the surface behind her, leaned forward and felt around with her other front paw for a place to put it. She found a small shelf on the rock, and lowered her paws bit by bit in this manner down the rock formation until she met the cat climbing up it in the middle. As near-impossible as it was to see anything, she instantly recognized the kit, and joy clogged her senses as she took in the kit she'd thought she'd lost.

"Sprucekit," she purred, having to physically restrain herself from reaching out for him so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall. "I knew you'd survived! Tell me," she added, suddenly concerned again when she realized he was alone, "are your father and sister okay?"

To her dismay, Sprucekit hesitated a moment before shaking his head. "They're alive," he said. "But Ripplekit's hurt really bad, and Grasstail told me to let you know so you can go get help."

"Show me," Watersplash said.

Nodding, Sprucekit began to pick his way slowly back down the rock, with Watersplash following after him.

—

"Grasstail?"

The meow was quiet, frightened, but still unmistakably hers. Struggling to make his eyes stay open, Grasstail blinked up at Watersplash as she leaned over him. Wanting to ease her anxiety, he opened his mouth to tell her he was fine, although it would have been a lie. He still hurt, although the pain was numbed considerably now, and he was still freezing cold.

However, he couldn't get a word out; Watersplash placed her tail over his muzzle and shook her head. "Just lie there and relax," she told him. "StarClan needs the rest- we both do," she added, wincing as she spoke. Grasstail's vision was fuzzy, but he realized with a pang of horror that there were gashes running down the sides of her face.

Not having much of a choice, Grasstail did as Watersplash said and closed his eyes once more. He didn't know how long he slept for, but he did wake up a few times only to drift back asleep soon after. Eventually, he was woken by the heat of the sun, which was high overhead. The light was shining in his eyes, so he groaned and rolled over, pleased to find that the movement wasn't too painful.

He was lying on top of a hill in a shallow hole beneath a scraggy bush. Around him, his Clanmates were milling around like usual. This clearly wasn't the WindClan camp. Confused and disoriented, Grasstail sat up, blinking sleep out of his eyes.

Nearby, Podtail was tending to Ripplekit. Sprucekit was hovering anxiously nearby; as Grasstail watched, Barkstripe padded up and gently picked him up and carried him away from where Podtail was working. Grasstail was relieved to see that both his kits had survived, and a quick scan of the area revealed that Appleshine was also up and walking around with only a bit of missing fur to show that she'd received a blow to the head the previous night- or had it been the previous night? Grasstail had no idea how long he'd been out for, and for all he knew, it could have been days since the storm. He doubted that, though, as his wounds still ached like they were fresh, and the smell of rain still hung heavy in the air. In addition, the grass was wet. Grasstail guessed that the reason they weren't in the camp was because the flooding had displaced them just like it had displaced RiverClan.

That reminded him- where was Watersplash? She had been there earlier. Had she gone back to her own camp? Suddenly driven with impulse to let his love know that he and the kits were alright, Grasstail rose to his paws and began limping determinedly toward where he could see the lake glittering in the distance.

"Oh, no you don't!" Dropping the herb mixture he'd been applying to Ripplekit, Podtail rushed over to him and guided him back into his makeshift den. "You aren't supposed to be walking around just yet, I'm afraid," the medicine cat added in a more sympathetic tone. "You need to get some more rest and give your injuries a chance to heal."

"That's what Watersplash said," Grasstail grumbled.

"Ah, yes; I suppose you were planning on marching on down to RiverClan territory to see your friend?" said Podtail.

Grasstail nodded; it was better that Watersplash be known as a close friend of his by the general public than what she really was.

Podtail shook his head and sighed. "I'd leave her alone if I were you," he said. "The poor cat just lost her mother."

"She did?" Grasstail sat up, ears pricked. If Watersplash had lost her mother, that meant Minnowleap was dead… and if Minnowleap was dead, that meant they were safe! Then, not wanting to give anything away, he flattened his ears back against his head and let his tail droop. "Oh, I mean… she did?"

"According to Miststar, Minnowleap went missing the night of the storm," Podtail explained. "They found her body at the base of Shale Hill this morning- or what was left of Shale Hill, at least. The whole formation got split in half by a lightning strike. Funny thing is, though," he went on, "Minnowleap's body was lying on _top_ of the fallen rock, and by the looks of things she died from falling."

"R-really?" Grasstail meowed, hoping Podtail didn't suspect what had really gone down. "How odd…"

Podtail nodded thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. After looking around to ensure no cat was listening in, he leaned in closer and whispered, "Grasstail, I'm no rabbit-brain. I know this has something to do with you running off last night after that intruder. Tell mw, how did you get your injuries, exactly?"

Grasstail gulped. He debated lying to Podtail, but the medicine cat was too smart for that. He'd know, most likely, even if Grasstail didn't tell him.

"I fell," he meowed, staring down at his paws, "…Off of Shale Hill. And then the part of the rock that fell to the ground landed on my back legs. I guess… I guess Sprucekit must have pulled me free."

Podtail didn't speak for a while. His fur lay flat, but his nostrils flared slightly as he breathed, and the tip of his tail twitched. It was obvious that he wasn't happy about what he'd probably already suspected to be true.

"…You're lucky, then," he said at last. "A few whisker-lengths off, and that rock could have landed on your spine. Be grateful you can still walk."

"I guess so," Grasstail mumbled, turning to look at his battered hind legs. They must have both been broken in a couple places, and they were wrapped in poultices that looked absolutely ridiculous, but Grasstail was hardly one to complain.

"And be grateful to your son, too," Podtail went on. "If it wasn't for Sprucekit's quick actions, you may well have died- and Ripplekit certainly would have if I hadn't stopped her bleeding when I did. He's a true saviour, if you ask me."

"Saviour?" Grasstail echoed. Tilting his head, Podtail nodded. Mind racing, Grasstail recalled the prophecy once more. "'From rain the saviour will rise… and into the waves the other will fall'! Sprucekit's the saviour," he realized with a pang of amazement. "And I'm the one who fell into the waves- or maybe that was Minnowleap! Either way, the prophecy's been fulfilled!"

Excited, he scrambled to his paws, ignoring both how much it hurt to do so and Podtail's protests. The prophecy that had been confounding them their whole lives had finally been fulfilled. They no longer had to worry about which one of them was meant to be the saviour- because neither of them was! It was about Sprucekit, whose fur with shades of both blue and green truly was the colour of the deepest waters. Maybe by now Watersplash had already figured it out, but he didn't care. He wanted to see her anyway just so he could share his excitement with her.

"Grasstail, just where do you think you're going?" Podtail demanded. "I told you to stay put!"

"I'm going to see Watersplash," he told him, quickening his pace as the medicine cat ran after him. "I've got to tell her everything!"


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Hey, sorry if that last chapter was a bit anticlimactic. Anyway, without (much) further ado, it's time to finally wrap this story up… (longer note at the end talking about some other stuff)**

The day after the storm, the freak warm spell ended and the floodwater that had covered the lake territories froze over, leaving all the Clans displaced for the time being. Uncomfortable in the temporary camp that had been set up, and not wanting to hear her Clanmates' sympathy about Minnowleap's death for fear she'd accidentally blurt out the truth and be exiled for murder, Watersplash spent most of the first day recovering from the storm- psychologically as much as, if not more so than physically- in WindClan. She wanted to make sure Grasstail and the kits were going to be alright. At one point, Grasstail had woken up, and though Watersplash had longed to talk with him about everything that had happened, she knew he had to rest in order to recover, so she'd gotten him to fall back asleep.

Now, at sunhigh on the second day after the storm, Watersplash was listlessly rolling a fish scale back and forth on the roof of her mouth with her tongue. Her mind wasn't at all on what she was doing, and the half-eaten trout that lay at her paws had gone unfinished for almost half an hour. She was completely wrapped up in her thoughts, although she wasn't thinking about anything in particular. She was just thinking about… everything. It seemed that all her life had been built around the prophecy, and around Minnowleap. Now that Minnowleap was dead and the prophecy was fulfilled, Watersplash's life held no more purpose than any other cat. Who or what was going to guide her actions now?

Then, almost as if StarClan was offering her an answer, Grasstail came hobbling into the temporary camp, escorted by the WindClan medicine cat. He grimaced with each step, and he leaned heavily on Podtail, but his eyes glittered with determination.

As soon as she saw him coming, Watersplash jumped to her paws and ran over to intercept him. Podtail stepped back and let Grasstail leap forward to bury his face in Watersplash's chest fur. He let out a whimper of pain when his hind legs touched down on the ice again; Watersplash clucked her tongue sympathetically and gave him a comforting nuzzle. Grasstail rested his head against her shoulder and they sat pressed together on the ice, tails intertwined.

"I'd rather he wasn't up on his paws at this point, but he insisted on seeing you," Podtail informed Watersplash as she licked Grasstail's ear, purring loudly. "And let me tell you, once that cat gets an idea into his head, he's not going to back down on it."

Watersplash didn't need Podtail to tell her that; she'd seen with her own eyes how stubborn Grasstail could be. "I'm glad you came," she told him, pulling away for a moment to look him up and down. Grasstail's hind legs were both wrapped up in splints, and his pupils were slightly dilated- Podtail had probably given him a lot of poppy seeds so he could walk without it hurting too much. "You shouldn't have come, mind you," she added, brushing her tail-tip over his injured legs, which garnered another wince of pain from him. "…But I'm still glad you came."

"If you're glad, then it's worth it," Grasstail said. His voice was low, and his words slurred together slightly- he'd been eating poppy seeds, alright. "I don't mind the pain as long as I can make you happy."

"You make me _so_ happy, Grasstail," Watersplash murmured, pressing her nose against his and closing her eyes. "Happier than any other cat could."

Grasstail purred with contentment. Then he licked Watersplash's muzzle and took a step back. Letting out a hiss of pain, he toppled to the ground, and a moment later Podtail was back at his side helping him to his paws.

Once Podtail had helped him stand up again, Grasstail blinked apologetically at Watersplash. "I keep forgetting my legs are broken," he muttered. "I'm totally drugged up on poppy seeds right now, so I can hardly feel them, but whenever I try to stand on my own or walk…"

"It's fine," Watersplash told him. "However badly you're hurt, it could never make me stop loving you."

She felt a pang of pity for him; Grasstail was such a proud, independent cat, and it seemed wrong to see him so reliant on the help of others. However, she realized this wasn't the first time Grasstail had been unable to stand on his own. When he had struggled with depression, she hadn't been seeing him during his lowest point, so she never found out exactly how bad things had been for him. Watersplash had gone through some hard times in her own life, and she wished that she'd had more support from her Clanmates during those times. In that way, Grasstail was and always had been much luckier than her. He had a degree of love from his family and friends that Watersplash, though she did value her friends a lot, never really had. In a way, though, Watersplash was lucky too- because she had Grasstail.

For a long time they stayed out on the ice and talked. They spoke about the prophecy, they got into a silly competition over whose injuries were worse (Grasstail was obviously the winner, but the scratches on Watersplash's cheeks made her a close contestant), Watersplash filled Grasstail in on the situation with RiverClan, and Grasstail told her some of the things he'd dreamed about when he'd been unconscious for the past two days. All of his dreams had been silly, meaningless things, of course- things like rocks that grew on trees or rabbits that could fly. After so many moons of terrifying prophetic nightmares, a dream about chasing rabbits through the sky was just what Watersplash needed to cheer up a bit. She would have spent the whole rest of the day sharing tongues with Grasstail if she could have, but eventually he started getting tired out and Podtail decided it was time to take him home. Watersplash wished she could go with them, but as much as she loved Grasstail, she was a RiverClan cat, and that was what she had to remain.

—

Many more days passed before the frozen floodwater melted away and the Clans were able to return to their proper camps. A lot of things happened during that time. Flamekit and Heatherkit became apprentices; their mentors were Seedpelt and Berryheart respectively. Sandstar lost one of his lives to the cold, and shortly afterward Roseflower finally stepped down from the position of deputy and retired to the elders' den. Grasstail highly doubted that these two occurrences were unconnected. It was quite likely that Sandstar was on his last life now, considering how old he was, and the leader had no doubt realized how imperative it was to have a successor in place who would outlast him by a long time. Rabbitleap was chosen as the new deputy, and while Grasstail didn't necessarily think his father was the best choice for the position, he'd have been lying if he said he wasn't immensely proud.

A couple days after WindClan had settled back into their real camp, they received a visitor. It was a snowy day, and the snowflakes were falling in huge fluffy clumps against a pale, silvery sky. Grasstail was sitting outside in the middle of camp, breathing in the crisp leaf-bare air and watching his kits race around in circles after each other.

His legs had healed up nicely, and Ripplekit's injuries were fully healed as well. She and Sprucekit had bounced back from their harrowing experience the way that only a kit could, and Featherkit even seemed to be jealous that he didn't "get" to be abducted by a crazed RiverClan queen and nearly killed. Grasstail was slightly more haunted by the whole ordeal than his kits were, but then again, he also still shuddered every time he heard an owl screech in the night. He supposed that there were some experiences a cat just couldn't move past.

He and Watersplash were probably the only cats who would ever know exactly what had happened that night. All his Clanmates knew was that a RiverClan intruder had broken into camp, knocked out Appleshine, and abducted Sprucekit and Ripplekit. As far as they were concerned, Grasstail had simply ventured out into the storm, fought off the intruder (whose motives were entirely unknown to every cat but himself and Watersplash), and rescued the kits. His legs had been hurt in the battle against the intruder, but Podtail had located him on his own when going out to search for him the next morning. The kits themselves, of course, had tried to tell of their adventures, but no cat but their littermate believed them- mainly because they did exaggerate the story a fair bit.

As for what Watersplash's Clanmates knew… apparently the story was that she had gone back to the flooded RiverClan camp against Miststar's orders to try to save Minnowleap. The lightning bolt had struck Shale Hill, Minnowleap had been tragically killed, and Watersplash, traumatized by the event, had stumbled partway to the temporary camp her Clanmates had set up but had passed out on the way. Podtail knew slightly more of the truth, but he wasn't aware of every single thing that had happened, and Grasstail got the feeling Watersplash was happy about that. He didn't think she wanted other cats to know what a twisted cat Minnowleap really had been.

With all the worrying about prophecies and nightmares behind him, everything was so perfect for Grasstail now. And yet there was still one thing about his life- what he considered the most important aspect of all- that was out of place.

For moons, Grasstail had made do with only seeing Watersplash every so often, and they had made it work for all that time. However, to say that Grasstail envied other cats' relationships would be an understatement. Just look at Appleshine and Barkstripe- they saw each other every single day, and they never had to worry about getting in trouble for being mates. Once they'd been harassed a bit at a Gathering by a young ShadowClan tom who told them they were going to go to the Dark Forest, but that cat had gotten a talking-to from his leader and reportedly hadn't bothered them again. Grasstail would have gladly put up with such baseless, petty discrimination if it meant having his true love in the same Clan. Maybe he only thought that because he hadn't experienced such discrimination himself, but even so, he just wished that Watersplash wasn't from RiverClan…

Grasstail found himself daydreaming about Watersplash. He pictured her walking into the WindClan camp with a rabbit dangling from her jaws- no, two rabbits, because she was such a talented hunter. He smiled softly to himself as he imagined her adding her catch to the fresh-kill pile and bounding over to him. They'd purr and twine their tails together, and their kits would scamper over and ask Watersplash how her hunting trip was, and she'd tell them all about it… Later, as the sun sank low over the horizon, Watersplash would pull Grasstail in close to her and they'd watch the sunset from the top of a grassy hill. The wind would ripple gently through their fur, and it would be so chilly that Grasstail would need to retreat to his nest to warm up. Watersplash would lie down beside him, and after sleeping peacefully through the night side by side, they'd be the first thing the other saw upon waking up in the morning. While the sky was still pale and gray, they would go for a run together out on the moors, leaving twin trail of pawprints in the snow behind them.

 _If only_ , Grasstail thought, but deep down he knew things would never be like that. It was never going to happen.

Then Watersplash walked into the WindClan camp.

—

Watersplash wasn't quite certain why she'd come. She hadn't given her Clanmates any warning; in fact, she'd said that she was going out to hunt. As she trekked over the snow-covered moors of WindClan territory, she briefly wondered if Miststar would be angry that she didn't bring back any fish- because she wasn't going to bring back any fish, obviously, or any land prey either. But then she realized how silly she was being. Miststar wouldn't be angry with her, because that would require her returning to RiverClan.

She didn't intend on returning to RiverClan.

It wasn't like this was a spur-of-the moment, half-though-out decision on Watersplash's part. She'd thought this through carefully. WindClan's numbers had been low for a long time now. Watersplash had been told she was a fairly good warrior, and she was certain Sandstar would accept her into the Clan if he knew how much she meant to Grasstail. RiverClan had plenty of skilled warriors; they didn't really need her. Minnowleap wasn't around anymore to dictate Watersplash's life. She was free to do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted right now more than anything- what she'd wanted ever since she'd been an apprentice- was to live in the same Clan as Grasstail so that they could be together properly.

Vague, undefined terms like "lovers" didn't suit Watersplash's wants and needs any longer. She wanted to be able to call Grasstail her mate. For that to happen, they had to be in the same Clan. Grasstail wouldn't want anything to do with RiverClan, she was sure, so the only logical course of action was for Watersplash to join WindClan. It was a well-thought-out, carefully crafted decision. Every cat would be better off this way, surely.

Watersplash had only ever tried to navigate WindClan territory on the night of the storm. Now, in non-stormy broad daylight, it was a much easier task. She simply tracked the cat scent to where it was the strongest. The camp was fairly empty at the time- most of the warriors must have been out on patrol. Grasstail was there, though, and Watersplash spotted him right away. A green pelt was pretty hard to miss, after all. A purr rumbling in her chest, she ran down the gentle slope into the camp, eyes trained on Grasstail.

He didn't notice her right away, but when he did, his ears picked up and his eyes went wide. Fur standing on end, he mouthed her name. She nodded, excitement pricking at her paws. Grasstail ran to her and practically tackled her to the ground; Watersplash let him knock her over and lay on her side, purring, as he covered her in licks. Their kits, who had been playing nearby, gathered around them and stared. Shortly after, so did the other cats who were currently in the camp.

"Looks like we're drawing a bit of a crowd," Grasstail muttered sheepishly, stepping away from Watersplash. She got back on her paws and shook her pelt out, her skin heating up under her fur as she took in the astounded stares of Grasstail's Clanmates. None of them looked happy about this development.

A white tom with spiky fur stepped forward, hackles bristling. "Grasstail, who in StarClan's name is this blue furball?" he demanded. "Have you got bees in your brain, bringing one of them fish-eaters into our camp? Don't you remember the last time one of those mange-pelts came here? Y'all could've got killed!"

The other cats nodded in agreement. "You act like you've known her for some time," a frail white she-cat pointed out. "Just how long have you been breaking the warrior code with this cat, Grasstail?"

Watersplash shrunk back, ashamed. Why hadn't she considered how the other WindClan cats would react? Of course not every cat would be as welcoming to her as Grasstail and his friends- she was such a fish-brain! Ears pressed against her head, she leaned up against Grasstail for support and addressed the gathered cats.

"I know you don't have any reason to welcome me," she said. "But the truth is, I don't want to be a RiverClan cat anymore. I'm in love with Grasstail- and he's in love with me; we've been together for moons- and I want to leave my Clan and join yours."

The reactions she garnered were shocked, to say the least, and none more so than Grasstail himself. He gaped, open-mouthed, at Watersplash, as she continued:

"I don't feel safe in RiverClan. I never really have; not since I've been old enough to understand the true nature of the cats around me. It's not that I have no friends there- I do, and I value them greatly- but they can't do for me the things that I need the most. I want to be with Grasstail. With him, I feel more at home than I do anywhere else."

The white tom who'd spoken out before hissed, raking his claws through the snow. However, Grasstail gathered himself up and, chin held high, stepped forward to stare his Clanmate down. "WindClan needs more warriors, Spikeear- we all know that," he meowed defiantly. "Watersplash is a skilled fighter and an excellent hunter. She'll be a blessing to our Clan; you'll see if you just give her a chance."

Spikeear didn't seem convinced, and Watersplash internally prepared another set of stronger arguments. However, no cat present got a chance to speak, as just then Sandstar hobbled out of his den, asking what all the commotion as about. The kits scampered over to him and filled him in, their tails sticking straight up as they babbled excitedly. Watersplash couldn't hear what the kits were saying, but once they were done talking, Sandstar padded up to Watersplash and Grasstail with his matted old pelt lying flat, and a serene expression on his face.

"I always wished that Watersplash of RiverClan could be one of my own warriors," the old leader murmured. "And to think that Grasstail is in love with you, no less…" Sandstar added, a scratchy purr rumbling in his throat. "I always thought that tom could use a bit more motivation- and here you are!"

Before he had even given her any definitive permission, Watersplash's whiskers were already quivering with emotion. She took in a trembling breath and pressed herself up against Grasstail, twining her tail with his. "…S-so you'll let me join your Clan?" she asked Sandstar, her voice barely a whisper.

"Of course I will."

"Th-thank you!" Watersplash cried, brimming with gratefulness. She stammered for a moment, unable to put her overpowering emotions to words, before simply gulping and repeating, "thank you."

For the next few minutes, Grasstail showed Watersplash around the camp and introduced her to everyone while asking her over and over if she was _sure_ she wanted to join WindClan. Each time she assured him that she'd never been surer about everything in her life. Soon, the cats who'd been out on patrol came back, and Sandstar hoped up onto a tussock and called a Clan meeting. Watersplash sat next to Grasstail at the foot of the tussock, trembling with excitement.

"Cats of WindClan," the elderly leader said as they gathered around the tussock, "I'd like to draw your attention to the cat next to Grasstail. Some of you may know Watersplash- a RiverClan cat, up until now. This has come as a bit of a surprise to all of us, but Watersplash here has asked to leave her Clan and join this one."

Sandstar was met with shocked gasps from the cats who'd just arrived, and disgruntled muttering from those who'd been present upon Watersplash's arrival. Put off by the negative reception, Watersplash fluffed up her fur indignantly; Grasstail purred and craned his neck upwards so he could give her a lick on her cheek. Hs tongue ended up scraping the scars Minnowleap had given her on the night of the storm, but she appreciated the gesture too much to tell him.

"Watersplash, you really have made up your mind about this?" Sandstar asked; Watersplash nodded vigorously. Sandstar dipped his head to her before turning back to the gathered cats. "I will speak to Miststar about this at once, but I don't doubt he'll accept this development. From now on, Watersplash shall be a member of WindClan."

At the front of the crowd, Barkstripe and Appleshine sat side by side, the kits clustered around them. Next to them were Seedpelt and Berryheart, who each had a young apprentice sitting next to them. Once Sandstar adjourned the meeting, all four of them ran up to Watersplash, followed by the kits.

"I can't believe you're our Clanmate now," Berryheart meowed. "That's great!"

"Yeah, now Grasstail can finally stop sneaking off in the middle of the night to see you," Appleshine added with a purr.

At her paws, Sprucekit scampered around excitedly, while Ripplekit and Featherkit hung back, eyes wide in amazement. "So, what's gonna happen now?!" Sprucekit demanded. "Is Watersplash going to move into the nursery and raise us, or is that still gonna be Appleshine and Barkstripe's job?"

Watersplash and Grasstail exchanged a glance; Watersplash honestly hadn't thought of that. She was about to admit she didn't know, and had made the whole decision to join WindClan thinking only of getting away from Clanmates she wasn't too fond of- particularly Oakleaf- and being able to see Grasstail every day. The kits had been a factor in her decision too, of course, but she hadn't really figured out a plan… Then Grasstail spoke up and saved her from having to confess how unplanned the whole thing was.

"I don't think it matters who raises our kits," he said, turning to look lovingly at Watersplash. Warmth spread throughout her body when his eyes met hers, and she affectionately nuzzled his cheek. "Watersplash and I are together now, and we'll figure it out; we always have."

Watersplash purred. It was a good answer.

—END—

 **A/N (again): wow, I can't believe I'm finally finished this story! The events in this fic took place in the span of about a year, and even though it didn't take that long to actually write, it did take quite a few months…**

 **I'm really sorry if you followed me for warriors content, because I honestly don't know if I'm going to write any more warriors fic in the foreseeable future. The next thing I upload will probably be DS9 fanfic (probably more Quodo) or maybe some Shakespeare stuff, I don't know. Or I could surprise everyone by writing about a couple of cute Japanese dorks in love. Anyways, um… bye!**


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